Ship of Theseus
by Fatti-chan
Summary: Link stared at the waves, his arms fastened around the King of Red Lion's mast. The ocean overwhelmed him, however, he had to do this; it was his destiny. Link stared at the tall trees and impossibly thick woods, eyes wide in surprise and astonishment, calloused hands tightened around Epona's reigns. He was eleven years old, but, this enormous stretch of land, frightened him.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Warning! Blue eyed beast.**

Pain.

Grimy cobblestone. Thick rusting bars. The musty smell of a water cistern.

An eye snapped open and he tried to move, but chains restricted movement. The pain burrowed into his bones and nestled there, forcing his eyes to droop and retreat into the comfort of sleep.

The door to the crypt creaked open and Link gingerly stepped inside; the triangle birthmark on the back of his hand glowed like a beacon. Whipping his head around, he shut the heavy stone door and panted from exertion. Groping, he found a piece of flint and lit a branch. Excitement and fear bubbled in his chest. Tiptoeing, he lit the torches at the entrance and the fire cast a warm glow over his face.

A semi-circle of men studied him and Link hid behind his father's legs. The captain of the Royal Guards stammered, his words galloping over each other. Link did not understand what they talked about. The semi-circle of men broke their formation and their ghostly white robes billowed in an unknown breeze. He reached for his mother's dress but the moment his twiggy arm shot out from the protective shade of his father's body, one of the sages clamped wire thin fingers around his arm. Gasping and trying to tug free of the snake like grip, Link desperately looked at his parents, they mirrored his helplessness and confusion.

They mirrored his pain.

The metallic cuff weighed heavily on his leg and Link tried to tug it off through half opened eyes. He shifted and forced himself to wake up and take stock of his surroundings. He reached for the cuff and faltered. Fur covered his arms.

Dark, blue-grey fur.

"No please, don't remove that glove. Our son," Mother choked, "he suffers from an undignified birthmark...Please!" The water sage ignored the blonde woman and peeled the velvet, fingerless glove off. Another grey patch of material obscured the back of the child's hand and the boy tugged fiercely, eyes taking on an animalistic gleam.

An ancient blade, half sunk in an equally ancient rock, lay in an alcove at the far end of the vault. Seeking comfort in the capering shadows, Link hiked up the batholith steps leading to the rusted sword. He should not be here and if princess Zelda found out, the consequences would not end well for him. But curiosity cannot be tamed. Casting his mobile torch aside, he stared at cluster of three triangles marking the back of his hand and etched on the sword. A sound echoed behind him and he whisked around, eyes darting for intruders and heart drumming a staccato in his chest. Breathing heavily, he turned back to the rock and studied it from all angles. A voice beckoned him. The blade wanted to be free. Gripping the sword handle between sweaty palms, he strained and the blade smoothly slid out. The sanctuary shuddered, soil rained from the roof and the blonde teen gave the eaves a passing glance. When he looked back at the rock…

He froze.

Link hardly screamed. The rusted sword dropped from his grip and he scrambled back. An involuntary yell of terror exploded out of his mouth and he screeched till his voice grew hoarse. Till he ran out of the tomb and till he reached the castle basement. Grey walls and a guard, startled out of a chair by the scream, greeted him. Swallowing fear, Link surveyed his surroundings; he brushed questions off and broke into a run.

A malicious cackle wormed its way into his ears and despite the excruciating pain, Link opened his eyes, ignoring his arms, which appeared too different to be human; and focused on the iron bars separating him from the outside world. Wearily, he struggled to his feet and the laughter echoed from all sides. His eyes roamed around, seeking for the one making the sound. The watery light filtering from above burned his retinas and a tiny creature with a bloated, pale abdomen swam in the periphery of his vision. Blinking, he snarled.

The demon giggled, holding a petite hand in front of a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. "What was that doggy?" she trilled sarcastically and spun. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you." An ornate piece crowned her head and covered one of her mischievous eyes.

"How do I get out of here?" Link asked one question out of the many bubbling on his mind. A chorus of barks and growls rebounded in the cell as he spoke and the imp's nefarious grin stretched wider. One ivory fang poked from beneath her top lip. _How_, he barked, _do I get out of...Here..._

The creature twirled gaily. "I told you I don't speak doggy," she squealed. "But I sense you want to get out of your cell." Her smile split her face in half when Link launched at her with a howl but stopped short of the bars and collapsed when the chain yanked him. Glaring balefully at the little demon, Link turned around to gnaw on the chain. "It's no use doggy; you need my help to get out of here." Pausing in his gnawing, Link threw the creature a look which clearly suggested she was crazy. "It's either my help or you rotting in this dungeon." She purred. The human turned animal stopped gnashing his teeth on the chain and settled on the floor.

_I'll rot._ He stubbornly decided.

Wind whispered through the grass at Ordon springs and he watched Ilia tend to Epona. Water lapped over her bare feet and he smiled when their eyes met. Irises veering to the sky, Link rose when an erratic portal opened up in the blue. His head snapped backwards when the gate to the springs blew apart. The coppery whiff of blood hit his nose and simultaneously, Ilia's cry of help and Colin's body, dangling from a monster's spear shaft, overtook him. Dropping into a fighting stance, he prepared to tackle King Bulblin off its perch but...

All he remembered was a sharp blow to the back of his head. Pain. Being dragged over the ground for miles. More pain.

And pain. Both physical and ones whose scars remained unseen.

The chain snapped and he whirled around suddenly free. "Listen here doggy," the imp's voice morphed into a dark and sinister tone. "Princess Zelda wants to see you." Link perked. "Something about Hyrule being overrun by Twilight and needing some saving. If you don't want to come, I understand. Sit there and chew a bone." She turned to leave and a whimper stopped her. Link stood behind the bars, majestic even when smeared in blood and mud. Two piercings adorned one ear and a symbol marked his forehead. "Oh, suddenly interested?" The wolf nodded. "Find your way out then, if you can't do such a simple task, I have no use for you."

Grumbling under his breath, Link pawed the heap of dirt in the cell's corner and damp air brushed his whiskers. Inhaling, he burrowed through the earth and emerged on the other side of the tunnel. Right next to the smirking demon. He shook soil off his fur, taking extra care to project it towards the creature.

"Now, you will do exactly as I tell you," she crowed and landed on his back. A displeased rumble erupted from the pit of the wolf's throat and he snapped, jaws closing over air. "Hehehe, you can call me Midna," Midna smugly laced her twig arms behind an oversized head, "and you are-"

_Link_. He snarled.

"Doggy," she finished as Link furiously barked at her.

* * *

Ghostly blue specters dotted the waterless sewer. Breath catching at the overpowering musty damp and his bizarre, overly clarified sense of vision, Link raced underneath arches of bricks begrimed with moss and water stains. A gurgle reached his ears and jumping on a raised passage of stone, the wolf blanched when a dark stream of filthy water separated him from the next passage. Paws fastened to the edge of the pavement, he peered into the canal, wrinkling his nose at the mounds of brown bobbing on the water's surface. The stench watered his nose and he crept away, hoping the infernal imp will not order him to jump in the festering slop. A whiff of metal ensnared his attention and he stared at the thick floodgates clamped over the duct. Padding closer, he blearily stared at the chain, hanging teasingly above his reach.

By some grotesque miracle, in which Midna's hair morphed into an orange limb of appropriate demonic proportions, the demon snagged the chain and the stagnant water flowed away, leaving a glistening trail of slime.

Wolf and demon descended into the slime slicked duct. Fur fluffing at the foreign feeling beneath his paws, Link rocketed through the waterless channel, humbly obeying every snappy command issuing from his companion's mouth. Her shrill tone grated on his ears but he kept quiet and followed. After navigating through an underground tunnel, and here, Midna conveniently vanished to Din knew where, the wolf emerged, fresh air threaded between his stiff white whiskers and Link inhaled, clearing his mind of fetid thoughts. A spiral stairway rose before him and urgency overriding the need to observe his surroundings, the sacred beast jumped on the stairs. Stone crumbled beneath his paws with alarming rapidity and huffing, he scrambled up, muck coated paws slipping off the surface. Basalt, worn by the passages of time, broke in chunks and Link howled when the entire staircase gave way beneath him and he fell, plummeting painfully on hunks of black rock.

The imp materialized at the top and giggled at his expense. "Let me help you up," she said, "and as was the agreement, you do _exactly_ as I say."

Animals should not be able to leap these distances, Link grumbled soundlessly whilst slicing through the air. His heart jumped each time he cleared a portion of empty space and he slumped at the top of the stairwell, refusing to look down and see what death traps he escaped. Instead, he sniffed the surroundings. Cool air rushed through the cracks in stone and drove away the clammy heat. The imp helped him through a high window and Link tumbled on the slate roofs of Hyrule Castle.

He squinted at the pale golden light assaulting his retinas, and opened his eyes slowly.

_Dawn?_ How many days passed whilst he slept on the dank cell's floor? Golden light and squares of red veined shadows danced in the air. Grey washed the area and Link rooted to his spot.

This could not be Castle Town! _Where was this?_

Greyscale bled into his vision from every corner of the area, whipping around to his floating acquaintance, Link barked: _Where are we? _

Unsurprisingly, Midna did not answer, she looked at the leaden landscape and her mouth curled at the ominous, golden glow.

Without warning, Link shot across the gables, streaking past turrets and leaping neatly from one section of the roof to the other. A flock of shadow keese descended on the sacred wolf and without pausing in stride, he tore through them, leaving tiny squares of darkness to spiral into oblivion. A larger target loomed beyond the spiked roof of the northern tower. A shadow kargarok bulleted into the speeding Link and the wolf tumbled sideways, fur and skin tearing on the uneven roof tiles.

"You insolent beast!" Midna bellowed and Link got up, growling and pouncing on the creature. "I told you to listen to me, get back here, Hylian!" she called when the wolf sped away, its own agenda clearly shining through icy blue irises. Muttering under her breath, she teleported in front of Link and smirked when the beast skidded to a crashing stop. Fear crept in his eyes as Ilia, mocking smile and hovering in the air, queried. "Don't you care about me? Don't you want to save me?" The image morphed into Colin, the boy's mouth open in fear, his entire body trembling. "Link..." the child piteously wailed, "save me."

The beast edged away.

"Hehe," Midna cackled when Link lowered his face to the ground. "How awful of you to run away when your precious ones are in danger. But that is all you are good for aren't you?" She patted a clammy hand on his furry forehead and he jerked back, growling. "Let's get going, Zelda awaits." An unsatisfied rumble emerged from Link's chest and he meekly followed the demon through the window of a tower, past basalt steps which thankfully held his weight and entered the throne room where double doors concealed hefty secrets.

Like the rest of the scenery, the chamber, once flooded in light and buzzing with importance, turned into an achromatic painting. The strip of red velvet carpet cutting through the room and ending at the base of the throne seemed like one continuous blood stain. At the back, past the cluster of stone goddess effigies; stood a cloaked figure, fingers gripping a window trellis. Warm perfume wafted from the obscure individual and after a lengthy pause, the person turned and let down a hood.

Muscles tensing and flushing to the roots of his blue-grey fur, the wolf desperately avoided the princess' all knowing gaze. Sheepishly, he tried to muster the courage to face her however, a few seconds later, the white washed tiles of the floor held greater mysteries. Zelda's visage, calm and collected even in the face of death, pulled him back to a time when he screamed and fumbled backwards, watching a ghost free itself from an ancient rock beneath a sealed crypt. And before he explored the castle's forbidden secrets, her presence reminded him of torturous hours spent in the barracks, a child amongst men, honing his sword skills with stubborn tears streaking his cheeks. Comfort and soft living melted away, the soldiers and castle guards beat into him a spine of steel and here he cowered, afraid the princess might finally found out who released the curse.

"And here we are," the imp shattered the silence. "I present to you the Twilight Princess." A malicious smile revealed her fang and she leaned against Zelda's shoulder.

Twilight...Princess?

The princess glided closer, bent down and brushed her fingers through Link's fur. "Your presence in the castle is much missed," she daintily stated and looked up. "Midna, did you explain the events to him?"

Stripped of all forms of social decorum, the demon prodded Zelda's cheek and rolled her eyes. "I told you I don't speak doggy, you do the honors, princess," she snidely commented and opted to stare out of the window. Straightening, Zelda looked straight into Link's eyes and began a tale.

"We apologize," she said as Link's heart stiffened for the task ahead. "But we are born to do our duties." The sacred wolf nodded, fully prepared to shoulder his destiny. "But let me warn you, this journey will not be easy. The Twilight realm has taken over most of Hyrule."

* * *

Fire torches cast an amber glow over the wholesome Ordon village and squatting into the darkness, nose tickled by large patches of wild grass, Link crept low to the ground and spied on a man. The Ordona shield, the pride of the province, now served as a mask for Midna. Inwardly ashamed to have the heirloom demoted into a demon's plaything, he turned his attention back to Rusl. The wounded man patrolled the entrance of his house zealously whilst his pregnant wife stayed at the Mayor's home. Bile soured Link's throat when Rusl's sword whistled in the air. The cries of wolf kept the entire hamlet on guard and it pained him to see the disgusted looks in the villager's eyes. Creeping out of the cover, he crawled directly into Rusl's line of vision, the man would understand, Link hoped.

He had to understand.

A sharp tug on his ear forced him to pause. "Don't you dare think about it doggy," Midna hissed in his ear. "The moment that human sees you, he will either slice you or you will be forced to maim him. Get the sword and we move to Faron woods," she commanded and pushed the shield mask on her head. Gritting his teeth, he sniffed around the house, found a tunnel leading directly to it and dug inside. The warm interior of the comely house greeted him and without wasting time on sentiments, he grabbed the sword, lying on a chair and paused at the disgrace of his actions. "Move!" The imp dug her thighs in his ribs and startled, Link climbed out, spared a last glance at Rusl hobbling on the stone path, at his village and its prized pumpkins flickering in firelight, and he ran away.

The sages tore him from his mother's embrace. Screaming and kicking, he thrashed in their grip. They finally uncovered what they searched for, three accusing triangles marked the back of Link's hand and while he viewed the world through a film of tears, they dragged him away. Mother and Father rushed after him pleading with the sages but they, with their detached faces, robes of light and singular purpose of sealing the great evils of Ganondorf, pulled the child to hone him for his destiny.

* * *

Vessels of light.

An otherworldly race practicing the forbidden art of magic.

Twilight which was powerful enough to reduce the Spirits into mere silhouettes of themselves.

All this sang in the wolf's head as he scoured for the Tears of Light. Rotting floor boards creaked under his paws and he slithered in the umbrae whilst Midna kept up an inane, running commentary on how to best attack the shadow beasts. Tuning her high pitched voice out, he pounced on crusty shells, biting through organs filled with tissue fluid. Finished with the critters rummaging in the dilapidated house, Link bounded out, ignored the specter sitting solemnly and turned north. A copse of trees loomed and along with it, an ominous, lilac fog spread over the area. Deciding not to tangle with unknown substances, Link skirted around and paused when Midna floated near a jutting tree branch. Begrudgingly, he leapt heroic distances through the air and crushed insects when he landed. The imp finally flung him when they neared a stone platform and yelping indignantly he managed to land on all fours instead of skidding across. Barking in outrage, Link clammed when four shadow beasts materialized in the area.

He squared his shoulders, eyes darting back and forth, noting movements, weaknesses. The one to his left stumbled.

And Link launched from the ground, burying teeth in the creature's shoulder, it howled in pain, an ear piercing, paralyzing screech. The shadow wilted in Link's grasp and he pulled off, diving into the other one with outstretched claws. Midna crash landed on his back and together, they finished the beasts off. The foreboding barrier around them disintegrated and the wolf laid his eyes on intricate slabs of carved stone. Briefly forgetting about the Tears of Light, he marveled at the antediluvian shrine. Cobwebs, dusted in dirt, slung in corners and wooden poles, carved with looping circles, rose from the floor. A giant, sticky web of skulltula silk obscured the entrance and he sniffed around, searching for ways inside the temple. A sharp command from Midna had Link skulking back to the two insects hiding in plain sight and he snapped his jaws over their exoskeletons. Acrid liquid gushed into his mouth and he licked his lips.

Disgusting.

Midna held the Vessel of Light, flinching at his pearlescent brilliance. "You know doggy, we make a good team, don't you think?" she asked as they trudged back through the forest, the Ordona shield firmly fixed on her impish face.

_The sooner I get rid of you,_ Link vowed to himself, _the better it is for my sanity._

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Birth of a new hero clad in green.**

Eyes heavy with sleep and groggily climbing down the ladder leading to his cozy, top bunk bed, Link registered the smell of Elixir soup, a thin line of sticky drool ran down the corner of his lips and not bothering to change out of his crumpled, crayfish printed pajamas, he waddled to the kitchen, salivating all the way. In the hearth, suspended over a fire, a cast iron pot bubbled and the heavenly aroma of his favorite soup wafted out in palls of transparent smoke. Mouth inching into a vapid smile, he stood next to his grandma whilst she turned around and pressed him into a warm embrace. Fully awake and burying his face into a loving hug, Link separated and his pitch irises shone mischievously. Obviously grandma would never forget. She smiled, happiness radiated from the corners of her wrinkled eyes and presented a set of clothes to him.

"Happy Birthday my boy." Grandma's fragile voice boomed and Link stood taller, hair disheveled but face bright. "You are a twelve year old man today!" she exclaimed and he burst with pride. "And in honoring our tradition, go, put on these clothes and let me see what a handsome young fellow you are." Eagerly, he took the set from his grandmother and unfolded them.

Eww.

Lips twisting into a grimace, he held the unfashionable tunic and tights away from him. And the cap, surely grandma did not want him to wear this...Floppy...thing. Face morphing into a cute scowl; he moaned, "Do I have to wear this?" Link picked the belt and the near transparent skin tight pants. "This looks old and hot and ug-" he complained but the elder shushed him.

"It's just for one day my boy," she stirred the soup, "and the tradition, we mustn't break it least tragedy befall us." Unable to say no to her expectations, he hobbled back to his room and rolled his eyes on nearing the mirror. Pensively, Link hovered to the side and with a resigned sigh, stepped in front of the looking glass.

A lean built adolescent stared back at him and Link blushed. The man inside the mirror possessed a shock of sandy hair, icy blue irises and a perfect, well-muscled figure draped in inconveniently thick clothes. Link never understood why he saw this person and when he was young, he excitedly dragged Aryll and Grandma to say Hi to the stranger. His family exchanged puzzled looks and declared that only the gaping expression of Link reflected at them. From there, he kept this secret to himself. The adolescent in the mirror copied his movements and Link hoped, dearly hoped he would grow up to be as handsome as his inexplicable reflection. After admiring the stranger and the tenacity in his eyes, he grudgingly stripped his pajamas and pulled the so called 'Hero's Garb' on. The tunic smelled of mothula balls but fitted him snugly and a belt cinched at the waist. Face twisting into despair, he slipped inside the tights and frowned when they stretched over the legs. The worn leather boots were not so bad but the cap. Jabun no, he's not going to wear this windsock!

Unfortunately, Grandma smoothed the material over his puffy locks and beamed so brightly, Link swallowed his misgivings and waited impatiently for his bowl of soup. Alas, she told him to meet up with Aryll and they could sit for breakfast together.

But first things first.

Birthday rupees.

The inhabitants of Outset Island opened their doors to firm but insistent knocking. Sunlight rested on Link's puff of golden hair and he stood on the threshold, tiny hand expectantly outstretched and an impish smile showing blinding white teeth. People laughed, the infectious smile on the birthday boy's face spread to them and they eagerly heaped rupees into his pudgy hands. Green, crimson and the occasional orange fell into Link's fingers and he gleefully whooped, exhibiting his treasure to the other kids. Zill tried to reach for the little chest Link carried and horrified by the growing amount of snot leaking from the young boy's nose, Link shrilly screeched and ran off to the beach.

Resisting to go for a swim early in the morning, he skipped to the western side of the village. A white picket fence sheltered a vegetable patch and inside it a man, blue rings stamped under hollow eyes, lazily weeded the garden. Rushing through the fence and trampling a cabbage and maybe a couple of turnips along the way, the blonde boy held his chest out and grinned smugly. Mesa straightened, slung his sickle on a shoulder and wiped dirt stained fingers on grubby overalls. Trilling laughter he handed a purple rupee and delighted, Link ran off, jumping to dodge sea spray from dotting his tunic.

"Link!" Orca, belly puffed and rib bones creating a sharp outline on his chest, framed the doorway. The weapons master twirled his spear in the air and stabbed the ground when Link refused to heed his call. Pouting, the birthday boy protectively clutched his trove of money and stared at the old man. "Come to practice!" boomed Orca, silver grey hair billowing dramatically in the wind. From above, Sturgeon screamed at his brother to leave the boy alone and dropped an orange rupee before waddling back inside the house. Exuberant, Link tried to dodge the surly form of his sword's teacher but the old man did not budge. "A warrior must hone their skills all the time," Orca pressured and beckoned him inside the house, "you are a man now and your sword skills are basic at most. Birthday or not. Oi!"

Sniggering quietly, Link zoomed past the aghast old man. "No practice for me today!" he sang, hat sailing in the air. "It's my birthday today and you didn't even give me any rupees." He stuck his tongue out and gallivanted over a wooden bridge spanning over the inlet of water. The watchtower loomed and he squinted at Aryll, moving at the top. Clopping over the bridge, he stopped to accept a heap of green rupees and lodging the little chest between his belt; he began the arduous climb upwards. Weather-beaten rungs rubbed his skin raw and the wind whipped into a stiff breeze. Although, the stupid cap failed to drop from his head. Hauling himself into the tower and panting, Link stumbled backwards when Aryll hugged him tightly, her eyes shone and he drew taller with a self-important air.

He was a man today.

"Happy Birthday big brother!" His adorable sister pecked him on the cheek. "Since it is a special day for you, I have a special gift," Aryll declared and held her telescope out. Forgetting his box of rupees, Link held the slim spyglass reverently and smiled softly. "And don't think I'll give it to you permanently." The smile drooped. "I'll lend it to you just for today." Shaking his head at his sister's shenanigans, he nevertheless accepted his temporary gift and at her prodding, put one end to his eye. "What do you see?" she queried excitedly. "Tell me, aren't seagulls the cutest birds in the world?"

A large bird with a two toned plumage and a vivid tail, soared into view and Link stared. "Um...I see a very colorful and big bird." His voice pitched in excitement. "It's huge, I don't think this is a seagull Aryll."

"Big brother!" Aryll shook him violently and he nearly dropped the prized telescope. "Look, a person...She-" fear prevented her from speaking and she latched on Link. Transfixed, the brother and sister watched a girl dangle from the bird's hooked talons whilst a gigantic ship, the likes Link never saw before, tailed the creature and shot cannonballs. A thunderous crack pulsed against his eardrums and he protectively swept Aryll closer to him. She fidgeted and pointed again when the girl dropped from the bird's talons and plummeted into Fairy Forest. "We have to help her!" Aryll looked at Link hopefully. "We can't leave her alone."

_What would that man in the mirror do? _

Confidence gleamed in icy blue eyes. His stature screamed of strength, honor and duties.

"Let's go help her," Link announced, squared up and made for the exit. "Climb down after me, I'll go into the woods and you stay with Grandma." Aryll squeaked a protest. "No," the boy told her firmly. "I'll do this on my own, just wait for me okay?" He smiled reassuringly to his sister and she returned it with a watery one of her own.

* * *

Standing in Orca's house, Link's eyes roamed over the array of weapons stacked against the wall, his practice sword seemed awfully tiny and useless in comparison and therefore he hefted a bulky, broad blade off the rack. The weight of polished steel hurt his skinny wrists and grimacing, the blonde placed it back on the shelf. Link could not fight with spears, a customary twirl with one of Orca's ones had him careering wildly and splintering a wooden stool in half. Praying for the owner not to return, Link guiltily replaced the spear and picked his sword. He sidled out of the house, ran to the beach where the entire island congregated and making a sharp turn, climbed the ridge leading to Fairy Forest. Legs trembling but determined to prove to the village that he possessed warrior spirit, Link sprinted along the rocky ledge, pacing his breathing. The wind atop the mountain nearly knocked him off his feet but fists clenched; he forged forward, crossed the dangerously swaying rope bridge and entered the forest.

A blue, weird thing with a skull belt guarded the entrance to the forest and Link nearly wet himself in fear. Focused on the monster leering at him, he failed to see a rock jutting out from the ground and tripped, nearly smashing his front teeth. Scrambling up, he stared at the monster and the roar of blood filled his ears.

The short sword whistled out of its leather sheath and Link hoped the shiny blade will scare the monster away. Unimpressed, the bokoblin brought out a club and the sword nearly slipped from the wielder's sweat drenched grasp. Sucking in a deep breath and coal eyes hardening with purpose, Link clumsily stabbed, his brain rewinding and digging through sword lessons. A battle cry rend the air and he twirled, not really aware of his surroundings, something wet splashed on his face; Link paused, cringed and relinquished its sword, sticking in the monster's chest. Swallowing thickly, he touched his face and screwed his eyes shut when red painted his fingers.

Wiping the sword blade on the overgrown grass and retching, Link pressed forward. To his relief, no other monsters greeted him. Searching the undergrowth frantically, he stumbled over fallen logs, backtracked and floundered over rocks and sweat plastered the tunic to his body. Breathless and falling over a log Link _knew_ wasn't there before, he looked up and blinked. A young girl swayed from a tree branch above him and the bough cracked. Pushing himself into an upright position, the boy scrutinized her features, sun kissed skin, pointy ears and was she getting closer?

Oompf!

Link gasped when the stranger landed squarely on him. Fortunately, the fall shook her from unconsciousness and she daintily woke up and took a moment to survey her surroundings. Beneath her, Link's heated protest fell on deaf ears and he heaved. "Get off!" he screeched, words muffled, "you're heavy and crushing my...Ow!"

"Tetra!" A rough voice pierced through the forest canopy and the girl jumped up. A man with a strawberry nose, red bandanna and a tuft of chest hair peeking from beneath a v-necked vest, barreled into the clearing and immediately fell upon the ungrateful female known as Tetra. "I'm so sorry for not shooting down the Helmarock King, our aim was off because we were afraid we might hit you." He turned his bear like gaze at Link who merely sniffed at him. "And did this boy rescue you?" he asked and Tetra nodded absentmindedly, she marched to the entrance of the forest and Gonzo fell in step behind her. "You have my thanks young boy." The pirate boomed and Link held his hand out.

_Pay up,_ he trimly demanded.

Walking out of the sinister shade of Fairy Forest and into the golden rays of sun, Link immediately perked when Aryll waved from the other side of the bridge. Heartbeat returning to normal, he laced his hands behind his head and smiled wanly. His sister waved again, skipped to the middle of the swinging bridge and a shadow fell over her. Face losing color, Aryll turned and crouched down to the wooden slats, making herself small, however, the Helmarock King tore through the flimsy bridge, grasped the squealing girl into a dirt begrimed talon and glided off to the west.

No...

No.

NO!

Link blindly careered forward, driven by one goal only. Run after the damned bird and rescue his sister.

Background sounds fell away and he jumped. "Aryll." he screamed. "Aryll!" He writhed and turned, trying to twist free from a grasp holding him back.

"Are you out of your mind?!" A voice smacked him back to reality and he shivered on looking downwards. "If I didn't hold on to you," Tetra groaned with effort and pulled him up, "you would've died."

The birthday boy was not listening. Irises dilated in fear, he mechanically sprung to his legs and searched for another way downwards. Falls and scrapes bloomed on his hands, bluish bruises mapped his skin. Winded and stumbling to the beach where the entire island congregated around a colossal ship, Link ran to his grandma and buried his aching body in her comforting one.

"It took her," his stated and quivered. "Is it because I didn't wanna wear this stupid tunic?" Link blathered; the morning's events became a fog in his mind. "Are the gods punishing me? Has tragedy befallen us?" Grandmother gently soothed him but refused to speak and Link knew, if she spoke, her soft, gentle tone would crack.

Eyes shining with unshed tears, Grandma watched her precious grandson stiffly sitting at the dinner table.

He did not eat.

A bowl of elixir soup gradually grew cold in front of Link and he blinked.

A teardrop plopped into his soup.

And he refused to change from his filthy, green 'Hero's Tunic'

Another teardrop joined the first one, burrowing through vegetables and rich, creamy broth.

The setting sun painted the kitchen's checkered curtains into blood and amber.

Seagulls squawked outside. Sorry whispers and condolences poured from neighbors' lips.

For once, Orca did not pester him to train.

"Night Grandma." Link tautly laid his spoon beside the uneaten bowl of soup and treaded out of the kitchen. He wrenched off his cap, climbed the ladder to his bed and buried himself under a handmade quilt. Wide eyed, he stared at the ceiling and the day's events played like a slow motion pictogram in his mind. Aryll, waving cheerfully at him and crossing the rope bridge. An ominous shadow..._how did he miss that?_ Aryll screaming and screaming and screaming for help as the gigantic bird soared into the vast blue sky.

Screams plagued his dreamless sleep.

When Link woke the morning, he stared at the spot above his bed. It missed a shield. Frantically, he jumped down, smoothed the floppy cap over tousled locks and searched the house for the family heirloom. Hearing raised voices; he sprinted outside to find a commotion. Tetra and her pirate crew kicked up a fuss on the beach and their ship cast a long shadow over the island's inhabitants. A sense of dreadful urgency seeped in Link's movements and he dove back inside the house, upending beds, searching underneath the table and peering into the hearth. The aegis failed to turn up. Wondering if Grandmother somehow read his thoughts and hid the shield, Link doubled back to the bedroom and halted at the mirror.

The confident, handsome man stared back at him through eyes holding an animalistic purpose. Shrugging his reflection off, the blonde boy searched to no avail and finally scampered out of his humble home.

Grandma stood alongside the villagers, in her varicose veined hands, Link glimpsed the shield. She turned around and the duo paused. "Why would anyone..." Grandmother trailed off, beckoned Link closer and pressed the oversized sheet of decorated metal into his hands. "I know you need it," she whispered. "Take it my boy and here, this as well." Link's breath hitched when she produced a bulging sack of money. "These are my savings, use them wisely." Grandma pressed a feathery kiss on the boy's forehead and tears welled up in his eyes. Furiously blinking the moisture away, he marched to the pirate ship and stood square shouldered in front of Tetra.

"I want to come with you," the boy in green stated and Tetra scoffed. "You must take me," Link insisted. "Aryll is there and I must rescue her." His tone assumed a pleading quality. "She's my sister, she trusts me to save her."

The pirate captain rolled her eyes. "Oh really, and why would I want to take a pipsqueak like you on board?"

Link did not smile but he held a wooden chest. "I got rupees."

Gonzo and Tetra exchanged glances. Deal. They both nodded.

Climbing up the gangplank, a violent bout of nausea seized Link and he crawled on deck, fighting his way across the swaying floor and standing right next to the railings, where he drunk in the view of Grandma's withered face and pinprick eyes full of tears. The ship lurched in the water and a sailcloth billowed in a north-westerly wind. Shouts, orders and curses, which would make Aryll flush in shame, peppered the deck and men scrambled about, ready to set sail. The hubbub soared over Link's head as he waved solemnly to his grandma. Tears coursed down his cheeks and he tasted salt.

"I'll be back," he blubbered. "I'll come back with Aryll, so wait for me Grandma!" he wailed and gulped in air as the pirate captain watched him unsympathetically. "And when we get back, make sure to make my favorite soup!" Wind whisked his words away and Grandma hiccupped.

Her eyes snapped shut and swaying, she collapsed to the ground as the villagers rushed to her aid.

* * *

A sailor's bellow startled Link out of his catatonic state. Limbs stiff, he wearily followed the voice and stood next to Tetra. The pirate crew regarded him with dismissive stares and he blanched at the fortress rising from the flat horizon of water. Powerful search lights pierced the dusky sky and the Helmarock King roosted in a nest fixed to one of the rocky outcroppings of the stone tree-like building. Another abandoned ship tangled in the turrets and ignoring the pieces of rotting wood, Link fixated on the fort entrance. Tetra and her group conspired in whispered voices and when they fell silent, the blonde turned to find them all staring at him.

"Yo-you can't be serious!" Link sputtered and squirmed inside the barrel. The rest of the pirates gathered on the other end of the catapult and sniggered.

"Do you want to save your sister or not?" Tetra demanded and winked. "We can't get in any other way and besides, this is a stealth operation, you see all those search lights?" She pointed to the eye watering beams of light. "A ship of this size will be spotted immediately, so your mission is to infiltrate, switch off those lights so we can get in and rescue your sister. Easy for a legendary hero such as you, right?" She grinned like a cat and nodded to her crew mates. Left without a choice, Link stopped wriggling and tensed. "Don't worry, my men are experts, we will vault you smoothly in one of the upper rooms," Tetra pointed to a glassless window swarming with seagulls, "there, in the very same cell as your sister." Her face became business like. "Is everything ready?" Gonzo nodded and saluted. "Fire!" The mistress commanded and the catapult sprang with a creak.

Airborne, Link trailed an ear curdling scream which scared the giant bird off its perch. Still screeching murder and praying to Jabun to save his sorry hide, he face planted against the side of the main tower, the impact jarred his sword from its holster and the weapon flew and clanged to Nayru knew where. Dizzy with pain, Link peeled off the stone facade and dropped. A stream of blood diffused into the seawater.

The cold numbed him. _Was this worth it?_ Link wondered and flopped to the raised pavement. Salt stung his open wounds and everything became blurry. A whistle sounded suspiciously close to him and he immediately whipped his shield out and cowered underneath its protective surface.

"It's me, Tetra." A disembodied voice spoke and Link jumped, he felt a weight in his pocket and brought out a luminous stone threaded in rope. "I'm sorry for the landing," Link rolled his eyes at her apology, "and I saw your sword flying to the top most tower, you must retrieve it," the captain stressed urgently. "For now, I suggest you avoid the glare of the searchlights, monsters, sentries and the Helmarock King. Don't try to engage anything without a weapon."

The voice died and he put the rock back into his pocket. Wiping away tears, which involuntarily surfaced each time he thought of Aryll and Grandma, Link hardened his resolve and ascended the steps.

Weapon or no weapon, Link decided he was not going to confront any beast prowling the towers. Their sizes frightened him and they carried spears twice his height. Shuffling behind a barrel and avoiding the dimwitted stare of a moblin, the boy squinted to see further. His vision clouded from the previous impact. Scooting out of the barrel's cover, he attempted to rocket across the bridge of stone but unaware of his surroundings, Link came to a screeching halt when a moblin spotted him. Lantern swinging, the beefy monster gave chase and the young hero streaked into the gloom, arms flailing, cap whipping and heart beating. Legs running faster than ever before, he tripped and cracked his skull on the unforgiving granite. A searing pain blotted his senses and fighting against the impending unconsciousness; Link eventually got a close up of the Moblin's grinning mug and passed out.

Sweet relief.

Waking up to the mother of all headaches, Link swiftly cursed and gauged his surroundings. A crude wooden shelf filled with pottery vases, cropped in his blurry vision and a low table, beset with three-legged stools, dominated the center. He whirled around, clutched his head and retched. Thick steel bars roped the room and he slumped.

_In a jail cell, again?_

Frowning, he crouched and searched for an exit but found none. One other thing nagged the boy.

Where in Hyrule was Midna?

* * *

**A/N:** Another LOZ fanfic that is not a cross-over. I miss writing cross-overs, why did I even start writing in the first place? If this fic reminds you of Kingdom of Zelda, please note that it won't cause cancer of the eyes while reading.

Hopefully.

Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and please read and review. Most importantly, enjoy, life is too short to be reading stuff that hurt your eyes and brain.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda**. I didn't even play Breath of the Wild!

This fic is for Eevee, I hope you are happy, wherever you are. And for Jack54311 for all the support and listening to my rants and for being there. This fic is also for Yeniffer Walker, thanks for the silent support


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Far from home**

Tiny hands, Pale and unblemished.

Soft.

Inhaling deeply, Link examined himself; no sword weighed his back but a fancy shield splayed beneath his fingers. The tunic wrapping his body resembled the ancient hero's garb, but it contained no chainmail underneath the coarse, thick material. Gingerly, he pulled the layers of clothing upwards and stared.

Oh no.

No, no, no!

His body screamed of a carefree life. No scars mapped his skin. A smooth expanse of baby fat jiggled where his muscles were supposed to be. Growing increasingly horrified and light headed, Link poked his belly and abdomen with a forefinger and it sunk without resistance. Throat closing up, he touched his cheek and stared at the clear droplet decorating his finger. Come to think of it, his eyes stung.

Was this child crying?

More importantly, who was this child and what was he doing here?

_Why is he locked in a cell? _

Shelving questions for later, Link surveyed the lockup, eyes roaming the concrete floor and walls for a likely escape route. He found none. Stomping to a tall shelf, he put his back against it and pushed. The shelf refused to budge and after straining his infantile vocal cords for a mere half a minute, Link collapsed, panting and removing the shield from his sweaty back. Silver metal lined the wooden shield and he peered at it, failing to recognize the design.

Standing, he prowled the room, the aegis clutched between his fingers. Glaring at the rows and rows of glazed pottery vases lining the shelf, he threw the shield and watched the pottery shatter. Shards of painted clay sprinkled the floor and crashes reverberated from the walls. Clubbing the innocent vases furiously, Link worked off his anger and confusion. His fingers throbbed and muscles ached. Throwing the shield to the side, he clambered on the shelves, his body worked against him, after thirty measly seconds, Link's chest constricted, his arms refused to support his tiny body and he jumped to the floor.

Amidst the clay splinters and chalk white dust, he found curiosities. A tiny bottle and to his relief, rupees. Money was always valuable, no matter where one went. A bundle of arrows winked under painted rubble and these, he strapped on his back with the shield. The shelf, free from heavy pieces of pottery, glided to the side and Link peered at a child sized hole in the wall. Must be the work of rats, he mused. Crouching on all fours, he stuck his hand out and half grinned when a breeze tickled numb fingers. Squeezing his body through the opening, he briefly wondered how old the child could be. Not more than twelve, he decided and crawled, scraping hands and knees along the tunnel's rough walls. The darkness pressed him on all sides, stealing his breath and without any other distractions, Link's mind veered to himself.

What happened? One moment he ran with Midna, barreling back to Faron Woods. The infernal imp clubbed him with the Ordona shield and he passed out. Next moment, he comes to inside a child's body? Coincidence?

_I think not_

The tunnel ended and he climbed to a short platform. A gale whipped his cap whilst huge lights waved across the stone compound, bright glares cutting through the gloom. An ugly piece of architecture rose from the middle of the complex and he compared it to a stone tree. Thick rope and weights wreathed the branches and he squinted, making out a wooden vessel nestling in a tangle of boughs. _What was that?_ Determination hardening his eyes, Link set off, he wanted to reach the grotesque mass of wood. Aching arms swinging by his side, he cut a straight path through the compound and paused when one of the lights swiveled, training its spotlight on him. The boy waited for the glare to move out of his face but it persisted. One second later, the entire fortress wailed.

Sound blasted his eardrums and he clapped puffy palms to dampen the noise. Tears sprang to his eyes and his legs buckled. Disgusted at the body's unconscious response to fright, he tore his hands away and irritably wiped his eyes on the tunic sleeve. Grit lodged in his eyelashes. In the distance, a bokoblin waved a crude club in the air and marched closer, shrieking angrily. Eyes zooming predatorily on the club, Link smiled.

Finally, a weapon.

Retrieving one of the arrows, he held it and charged at the monster. The arrow head pierced the bokoblin's eye. Howling in rage, the monster swiped the club and Link ducked, he punched the bokoblin in the stomach and uttered a small noise of pain when a crushing pain bloomed on his knuckles. Wrenching the club out of the creature's grasp, Link smashed it on the monster's head and it sunk to the floor.

Unconscious but not dead.

Tugging the arrow out of its eye, the boy speared it over the bokoblin's chest and watched the body still into a corpse.

* * *

The lights were annoying and Link resorted to slithering in the shadows and behind barrels whenever he saw them sweeping across the floor. He strapped the club on his back and the wooden weapon towered over his head. Sidling across a crumbling line of stone, Link peered around the corner, lips twisting when another shaft of orange light barely missed his hiding place. The next corridor of stone swarmed with those lights and he gritted his teeth, searching for the source. A few stories above him, a bokoblin manned a contraption. Sneaking past a pair of yawning moblins, Link tiptoed into a side corridor and ran all the way to a ladder, cap streaming behind him. Out of breath, he gulped a lungful of air and grasped a rung.

Pain shot through his fingers.

Ignoring the blisters, he heaved himself upwards. The top of his head cautiously poked over the floor and he silently watched the monster turning a crank and rotating the light generating mechanism. Sneaking behind the bokoblin, he smashed the club on its head. The creature's nose expelled a starburst of blood and Link tossed his broken weapon away. Turning the bokoblin over, he frisked it, found a couple of rupees inside a skin pouch and another club. Smashing his new weapon on the machinery, Link nodded, satisfied by the sputtering and eventual black out. Turning, he was about to descend the ladder when a shout froze him in his tracks.

"Hey." A female voice echoed from somewhere very close and Link whipped around, fisting his club. "You are doing great, keep on taking out the lights and you'll get to the holding cell."

Bewildered, the boy spun in circles, searching for the speaker. If this was Midna's idea of a joke, he will tear that demon from _limb to limb_ the moment he laid his hands on her. Warily, he lowered the club and peeked around, breath stilling when the moon's light glinted off water. _Water_? How could there be so much water? The voice started again, this time echoing from behind. Tapping his shield, Link's hands probed downwards till it slipped into a pocket. A gleaming, cyan blue stone sparkled in his bruised palm and issued orders.

"We don't have much time Link," the female continued and he jerked. Link? How did she know his name? Unless... "Come on! Move, your next destination is the light on the southern outpost, take that out and you'll be able to get to the main building," she commanded loftily. "Don't worry, before this night is over, you'll be able to rescue Ar-"

Link lobbed the brilliant jewel; it soared over the stone bulwarks and dropped, landing with a soft splash in the water.

Free from annoying, disembodied voices, he climbed down the ladder and surveyed the southern outpost; its light did not cross his path so he ignored it. A couple of moblins, lanterns dangling from their claws, patrolled the next area and Link blazed across. One of the moblins chased him and he rendered the hulking beast unconscious before snatching its spear and glass lantern. He held the spear horizontally and inched onward, the light of the lantern threw his pallid features into sharp relief. No other creatures stepped in his line of sight and the boy crawled forward, stopping at a wooden door.

He opened it and immediately scooted to the side, in a patch of shadows. Fortunately, the room was empty save for stacks of barrels and chests. Setting the lantern and spear down, Link studied the cargo. Barnacle crusted treasure chest teased him and he edged the spearhead between the lid and trunk and pried the boxes open. Link did not understand what he looked at. Little waist belts, leather shining in muted light, lay in one. Another crate fell apart along with its contents, colorful feathers and beads. Rifling through the feathers, he tucked one under his cap, Ilia would love it. Smashing open another chest, he goggled at the contents.

Silver rupees.

Picking one, he examined it; the rupee seemed to be the real thing. Unloading everything off his back, Link sorted his belongings, his hands closed around a sack of tinkling objects and he opened his wallet. Rupees of every color glinted from within and for the umpteenth time, tears pooled at the edges of his eyes.

Someone very precious gave him these rupees.

Someone, waited for his return

Tossing the silver rupee back, he shouldered his belongings, looped the pouch around his belt and hefted the spear. He needed answers and an inexplicable feeling tugged him to the wooden vessel snarled with the stone tree branches. Peeling out of the room with only a frayed map and a barely working compass, Link followed the trail; it looped back to the broken light machine and across a high flight of stairs. Once again, he cursed his childish stature.

Of what use was a body when it petrified on sensing danger?

The boy must have led a sheltered life; Link concluded and irritably wiped his eyes. He could not fight properly and the spear he pilfered, unbalanced him with its weight. Did this child come here without a weapon? _Highly unlikely, given the circumstances._ Pushing thoughts at the back of his pounding cranium, Link scaled the stairs, his breath escaping in small vapors of white. The biting chill in the air seeped through the thick tunic and overhead, stars blinked in and out from a grey sheet of clouds. Forcing himself to his feet, Link dragged unresponsive legs up the never ending stairs and finally alighted at the top.

The guards spied him and without a moment's hesitation, a group of assorted monsters lunged for the small boy crouched at the top of the stairs.

Snarling, Link punted his lantern at the leading moblin and the beast exploded. The lamps they carried, ignited one by one and the creatures fell back, squealing in terror. A display of blazing orange raced across the corridor of stone and danced on the water's surface.

When the fires died, Link marched; the bottom of his handmade boots stained with soot and charred remains. The rest of the monsters gave the diminutive horror a wide berth and cowered behind pillars and low walls. Wading through broken glass, fragments of scorched bone and the putrefying smell of burnt flesh, Link stopped at a thin bridge of basalt spanning across a treacherous chasm. Inhaling deeply, he put his back flat on the stone facade rising on the side, threw his hope to the goddesses watching over him (at least he hoped so) and cursed Midna for good measure. Closing his eyes, he sidled across; chin held high and weight balanced on the balls of his feet. He tried not to remember how the ancient steps at Hyrule Castle broke beneath his paws.

He tried not to think about it.

The stone splintered.

Breath arresting somewhere between his chest, Link cracked an eyelid open and immediately regretted it. A black mouth beckoned him to the sweet lull of eternal sleep. A hairline fracture formed between his legs and he swallowed thickly. Agonizingly, and with every muscle in his body locked with tension, he shuffled to the other side and dropped to the floor. His throat burned from thirst. Scrambling away from the lip of the gorge, Link willed for his hands to stop quivering and he swept hair away from his eyes. A sudden urge to check his reflection seized him but as far as he could see, there were no reflective surfaces.

A slim, silver blade twinkled under moonlight. Giving the surroundings a customary glance and noting a flock of seagulls near an open window, Link edged towards the weapon lying on the floor. The sword fitted perfectly in his grasp and he held it to his face. In the dim light, the blade reflected a pair of pitch black irises, and a puff of bright, blonde hair streaked with soot.

A child with cherubic features.

Sighing, Link waved the sword, it whistled as it cut through the air and comforted by the weapon, he stowed it away in its leather holster. Resolve renewed, he tossed the spear aside and strode to a landing, where a bokoblin quickly polished its dinner and turned to face him.

For a second, human and beast stared.

A guttural roar shattered the eerie stillness as the olive skinned beast lunged. This one did not carry a club, rather, a curved scimitar wedged between overgrown finger nails. Unsheathing his shield and blade with a smooth flick of his wrist, Link sidestepped and the scimitar sparked across the ground. He leapt back, eyes searching for weak spots. Diving forward, he relieved the monster of its shield and kicked the flimsy, wooden board away. The bokoblin wasted a precious second lamenting for its shield and Link drove the tip of his sword between its ribs, where it stopped, lodged in the tough muscle of the heart. Pulling his blade, he wiped the bloodstains on the monster's hide and twirled it before putting it away.

Old habits were hard to break.

Snatching another few rupees off the dead monster, he trundled across the platform and groaned at the sight of a pair of heavy, double height doors. Sucking in a breath, he braced himself and pushed with all his might. The entrance resisted for a split second before it moved and Link sweated copiously, feet scrabbling on the floor. He managed to wedge it open and on hearing voices, soundlessly sneaked inside.

Eyes adjusting to the gloomy interior, he blinked at a large cell dominating the middle of the floor. Torches burned in the far corners and the flickering firelight illuminated about three or four girls cowering inside the makeshift cell. Eyes sweeping and noting the lack of guards, Link stepped out the shadows to examine the cage. A young girl, bright blond hair swept into two messy pigtails, pressed her face against the wooden bars and stared with him.

"Big brother?" she enquired uncertainly and her eyes shone hopefully. "Big brother!" she exclaimed gleefully and Link's knees buckled under him.

Big brother?

_He has a sister?_

The next few moments were a blur. He vaguely registered slinking to the cell and studying the girl doubtfully. What could he say? _What should he say?_ He did not even know her name. Hope, relief and unbridled happiness lighted her face and she reminded him of Colin. Sweet, pure little Colin. The girl waited for a response and gently touched his cheek.

"You look awful big brother," she twittered sadly. Brightening, she turned to the other girls trapped in the cell. "Don't worry, my big brother is here, he is going to save all of us!" she declared, eyes flicking back to Link.

Link desperately wanted a drink of water. His mouth was sandpaper dry. But even if he drunk to his fill he could not utter a word. For starters, just asking her name would ruin the hopeful grin on her desperate face.

"I don't know Aryll." One of the girls, black hair covering half a face and an expensive evening gown in tatters, slurred and pointed at Link. "Your brother looks pretty lost and beat up himself..." she muttered.

Aryll. Link whispered under his breath. A cute name. A pretty name.

"Aryll," he choked and the girl whipped back to him. "Don't worry." Link awkwardly placed a blood stained hand on her head and inwardly flinched at his action. "I'm here so everything is alright." His sister nodded exuberantly and his stomach twisted into knots. "Big brother is here to keep you safe," he murmured and ruffled her hair. "So stay put okay, I have to deal with something upstairs and I'll come back-what is it?" His voice hardened at the worry flaring in her eyes and he whirled around, sword and shield ready.

A gigantic, multicolored bird landed in front of him and Link snorted at the opposition, he'll make short work of it. Alas, the girl behind him sniffled, tears slid down her cheeks.

His sister grabbed the back of his tunic. "You won't take him," Aryll obstinately stated and glared at the large bird. "You won't take my brother away from me!" she screamed and Link squirmed in her grasp, demanding her to let go.

Instead, the bird swooped, tore Link from Aryll's frantic clutches and he dangled helplessly in the air, weapons bobbing in his grasp. The monster flapped its wings and took to the skies amidst Aryll's helpless screams and Link struck the bird's beak and exhaled when his blade bounced. Hanging limply, he defeatedly watched the ground shrink and raised his head when the beast carried him to the wooden vessel.

His eyes widened and terror flooded his chest.

A hulking figure stood inside the watercraft. Blood roared in Link's ears as he met the dark skinned man's ruthless eyes. The Gerudo uttered a command and the boy flailed as the bird tossed him into the vast expanses of water.

"Ganondorf," Link hissed and lunged for his nemesis. Surprise registered on the man's face but he remained impassive as the hero's sword sliced through air. Link fell, but the hatred and sheer determination in his face promised he will be back.

Back from the depths of hell.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**A grueling gauntlet**

A blinding orb of light snared Link's attention and he squinted against its harsh, pure brilliance. The light assumed the shape of some sort of animal and he racked his brains, trying to figure out what this tailed creature represented.

Clearly it wasn't a pig.

His mind swam. The surroundings were unfamiliar; did those monsters drag him to another island whilst he slept? Large trees, the likes of which he only saw in Fairy Forest, cropped in his vision. Water lapped at his boots. Groggily, he looked downwards, past the surface reflection and stared at his feet. Blinking, he switched his attention back to the animal of light as it rocked and twirled in the air and talked. Link's eyes rung. He heard words resonating in his skull but he could not understand them.

Quest?

Hero?

_Twilight? _

What was that _thing_ talking about? Shaking his head, he turned and froze. A monster floated next to him. Involuntarily, his eyes pulled to the creature's mouth as it smiled. A row of zigzagged teeth crammed in a too small mouth. Crouching, Link inched backwards, even though the little imp was half his size, it could tear him to pieces, he was sure of it. Thankfully, the thing remained fixated on the light and paid scant attention to him. Holding his breath, he painstakingly crept to the edge and almost bolted when the spirit called.

"Oh brave youth, this is a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you." Link gaped, he quickly looked backwards to check for anyone standing behind him. "Look at your awakened form," the spirit ushered and for the first time since he opened his eyes, Link raised his hands and stared. Gloves sat on his palms and dirt ringed his nails; he touched his head, tugging at his ears. "Your name is Link." Link ignored him in favor of pulling the little ring piercing his ear and he blanched. Grandma would kill him for wearing an ear-marker! Only those horrid pirates like Tetra and her crew wore them. "You are a hero chosen by the Gods," the spirit continued and when the ring failed to disengage, Link raptly listened to the light. A niggling feeling nestled in his chest. Something was wrong here. "Brave Link," the spirit rumbled, "a dark power rests in the temple deep within this forest. It is a forbidden power." The rest of the light's words turned into a garbled mess as Link detached completely and crashed to the floor.

The cold water of the spring numbed him and he gasped, eyes growing wide.

The ghostly demon, which remained mercifully still, now zoomed in his face. Petrifying, he studied the monster's features. Light faded from the spring and color leeched back into her features, coal black, whale fat white and turquoise veins. A saffron eye rolled in a socket and she grinned, revealing those awful teeth.

"Scared?" she giggled in a high pitched voice and stuck a hand under his chin. Link shuddered at the contact. "Come on Doggy," she trilled. _Doggy_? "We need to get a fused shadow from the temple before your beloved Hyrule is swallowed whole!" The creature threw her head back and laughed.

And Link failed to see the joke in her words.

"You're making a mistake!" he shouted and his hand jerked to his throat, his voice sounded impossibly deep and hoarse. "I'm not...I have to find Aryll!" He stood; the foreign surroundings leered at him from all sides and craning his neck, he searched for the comforting lull of ocean waves. "Where am I?" he screeched and clenched his hair, one hand tugging on his mutilated earlobe. "What are you?" Link pointed at the demon and swallowed thickly. "I have to get to the Forsaken Fortress, Aryll depends on me, I don't care about any of this!" He spread his arms wide, everywhere he looked, sunlight struck on green. Averting his eyes from the slyly grinning imp, Link glanced downwards and paused.

It was him.

_The man in the mirror._

Instead of the confident visage, Link saw a terrified man. A confused and broken person undulated on the crystal clear water's surface. Panicking, he thrust his hand in the water and the reflection broke. Unfortunately, it reformed and the same, sandy haired, blue eyed man stared back at him.

"Did you hit your head too hard Doggy?" Midna asked and flitted around Link who hunched in the water. "We don't have time for theatrics," she snapped and fisted his collar, "get up and move, we had an agreement and I'll see to it that you complete it.

Barely functioning, Link limply followed the demon's grasp as tears refused to spring to his eyes.

* * *

As if a poisonous fog was not enough, Link crawled forward whilst a monkey carrying a lantern led him. It must be a dream; he nodded and grinned whilst striding through the decaying forest floor. Sooner or later, all of this will vanish and he'll wake up on the cold floor of his cell. He briefly wondered what Tetra was up to, probably screaming at him to stop taking a nap. Smiling vacuously, he warily eyed the female monkey as it gibbered coyly at him. The animal dropped the lantern, uttered a harsh cry which slapped against darkened tree trunks and fled in the direction of a cobwebbed building.

Curious, Link picked up the dead lantern and swung to the imp. "So which way do I go, nightmare monster?" he asked. Often times, Aryll complained of monsters visiting her dreams and Link sat on her bed, caressing her head and uttering soothing words. The demon raised an eyebrow at her title but instead of showing displeasure, she cackled.

"Nightmare monster? I have a name you know."

"And so do I," Link snapped, "I don't see you call me that."

The two locked gazes and unable to hold her probing stare, he trained his eyes to the ground.

When will this bizarre dream end?

"You are quite mouthy," the creature continued and weaved between the darkness. Pinned on her form, Link followed, suffering several branch whippings along the way. "I didn't think you would be the talkative type. But then again, you did bark a lot." She exaggeratedly scratched her ears and giggled when a low lying branch smacked Link cleanly across his face. Howling, he nursed his bruised nose and glowered at her.

"Grandma said I must stand up for Aryll and myself," he declared. "I'm not scared of you," Link announced, his knees knocking together.

At this point, the Twilli turned and searched the human standing in front of her. Link was almost...Whiny. Childish. Formerly, his eyes held purpose, now they darted around with every small sound the forest produced. His breath came in small, panicked pants. "Link..." she began and his head snapped to her in a jerky, frightened movement. "I didn't know you had a grandmother...Or a sister for that matter." Before Link opened his mouth to reply she added, "And address me as Midna."

Following the question, he blathered about oceans, sharks - what the hell were those? - and pirates…Midna assumed he must be talking about the Zora thieves. Still yammering, he told her about grandma and elixir soup and his baby sister Aryll. The forest path lightened and they crossed into a glade. Tossing a look over her shoulder, Midna noted another fearful expression inching across Link's face as he stood roughly one meter behind her, mouth agape like a fish. The dead lantern hung in a vise grasp by his side and she wondered if whacking him with the Ordona shield produced permanent damages, humans were fragile creatures after all. Midna barked at him to march faster but Link dropped the glass lantern for the third time, spun on his heel and ran.

The imp merely stared, floored by his cowardly audacity. Did Zelda's powers weaken?

How on earth did the sages decide this _wimp_ was the chosen hero? Curling her tiny fists, she snarled, "Get back here you!"

Hurtling through the blanket of trees, Link heard Midna's enraged command. _Get back?_ He asked himself, was that demon crazy, did she not see a large wolf standing right behind her? Risking a peek backwards, Link nearly wet himself when the fiery wolf charged after him, leaving the surroundings bathed in a tangerine glow. Choking a sob of despair, he scrambled through the undergrowth, falling, skinning his knees and wiping blood from his cheek. A particularly stubborn tangle of roots coiled around his ankle and Link writhed on the forest floor, amongst decaying leaves, trying to pull his foot free. The golden wolf leapt and Link shut his eyes as it landed on him.

Freezing. Soft.

A cocoon of burning cold.

Frigid winds blasted up his nose and Link raised his head.

Must be another dream, he concluded on seeing a skeleton with a sword and shield.

Letting his head drop, Link mushed his face in the comforting blanket of cold. He could think about stuff later.

"Up," the ghost commanded, its foot falls grew closer. Instead of listening, Link buried deeper within the snow, desperately waiting for Grandma to wake him. "UP!" the specter roared and this time, Link scrambled upright, coming face to chest with the ghost and the space between his legs dampened. Moss lined the ghost's suit of armor and its sword rusted at the edges. Link tore his eyes away from the apparition's crumbling teeth. "Draw your weapon." Coffin cold breath escaped the spirit's mouth and Link fumbled for his sword. He found it strapped to his back and for a few seconds, he grappled, struggling to pull the blade from the sheath. The sword weighed unbearably heavy and the wooden shield fell from sweaty palms. The ghost and human pair stared at the aegis between them and Link sheepishly wilted to the floor and retrieved it. "Come; let me test your abilities," the spirit ordered and before Link could bring his shield up to protect, his sword sailed through the air and landed five paces behind him.

A torturous session commenced. Each time he tried to strike the ghost, it fluidly sidestepped and parried. The spirit hammered ruthlessly and each strike against the blade, jarred Link's limbs with pain. Feet freezing in his boots, Link desperately fought to keep his position but the cyan monstrosity drove him back. Snarling and grunting like an eldritch abomination.

"Pathetic!" the hero's shade finally barked and Link flinched. "You disgrace me!" it continued. "How dare you sully my name; how dare you free me from that rock! I kept myself for this? This?" Having no idea what the specter ranted about, Link clenched his bruised hands and said nothing. Each word hurt more than a physical blow. "Boy, I will not have you saving Hyrule with such egregious swordsmanship. A hero unable to parry a single strike?" The spirit bore down on Link, skeletal chin trembling in rage. "You will stay here until you master the basics. I will ingrain to you the customs of old." Grumbling, the hero's shade stepped away and turned, raising its corroding sword. "On your guard, chosen hero!"

Chosen hero?

He was no hero.

"You are making a mistake," Link's voice quivered, "I'm not a hero, I'm just looking for Aryll, she's been captured by a bird and she needs me to sa-"

"SILENCE!" the shade instructed and scored a thin line across Link's cheek. "You are not permitted to speak until we finish. En garde!"

* * *

Midna found Link lying inert, feet caught in a tangle of roots. His eyes were disturbingly wide open and they flickered back and forth. She snapped her fingers in front of his face but he remained unresponsive. Clucking her tongue in irritation, she pried his fingers off the lantern and checked it. A tiny amount of oil ran back and forth at the bottom. At least it will do. Snapping off a branch, she resorted to poke Link till he woke up from his nap.

The human jerked and bolted upright five hours later. _Five whole hours_. Midna seethed, smacked him across the cheek and was rewarded by a howl of undiluted pain. To her surprise, instead of lashing back, he slumped with his head angled to the side.

Tears drew wet lines on his cheeks

The imp did not know what to do, according to Zelda, the chosen hero was a headstrong, capable young man. Trained from the tender age of eight, he mastered several forms of weapons combat and could hold out on his own with bare fists. The man in front of her, sunk to the dim forest floor, shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Occasionally, a sob escaped his mouth; he buried his face in his arms and wept. "Link..." she tried gently. "We have to traverse the Forest Temple and retrieve the fused shadows. It is of utmost importance to saving Hyrule."

"...Don't care..." He wetly muttered and she floated closer to him.

"Excuse me?" Midna asked.

Link's head whipped up. "I don't care," he hissed. "I don't care about this stupid Hyrule, or wherever this place is." He waved his arms wildly. "I don't care about you or those shadows or about that Valoo damned ghost," he whispered hotly and looked around, Grandma told him not to use such strong words. "I don't care about anything!" Link screeched. "I want to go home. I want to see Aryll." He grasped Midna by her thin arms and shook her roughly. "Take me back to Outset Island!"

And at that moment Midna vowed never to hit Link again.

She allowed the human to shake her, his eyes shrunk to covetous pinpricks and he screamed, tore a tuft of his sandy hair and stomped the floor, kicking dead leaves upwards. The musty tint of decaying plant matter and fungi, permeated the air and still, Link screamed to no one in particular. Midna almost wished he be turned into a wolf. At least she could shut him with a muzzle. When he finally calmed down and hunched at the base of a tree whilst sobbing uncontrollably, Midna piped up.

"...Okay fine, I'll take you back home," she conceded and suppressed a feral grin when he looked at her, hope swimming amongst the tears congealed in his eyes. "I'll take you back only if you help me." His irises narrowed and she quickly added, "I really need help, you won't leave a lady out here would you?" She gestured to the foreboding trees and purple mist. "Also, I'm really tiny and scared," Midna quivered, "and I'd be assured if I had a tall and handsome hero...Man like you around." Half convinced, Link wiped his tears and snot and sniffed, he nodded. "Excellent," Midna crowed and turned around.

"But I want a ticket home and payment," the whiny adolescent demanded. "Let's see..." he ticked numbers off his raw fingers. "About three thousand rupees sounds fair." Midna nearly crashed into a tree but an idea formed in her head. She nodded her consent and he brightened up, a smile replacing his earlier frown. "Good, so where do I start?"

The pair stopped at the foot of an ancient temple, a large expanse of silk obscured the door and as per Midna's instructions, Link burnt the silk, pinching his nose against the smoke. His arms shuddered as he pushed the moon gate aside and entered the temple vestibule. Pillars of carved wood and walls, rough like tree bark, crawled with vines. Swallowing, Link shot down two walltulas with his slingshot, after several tries and an exasperated growl from Midna, and shuddered when their jerking forms splattered the floor. He silently shrieked and moved out of the way when their tissue fluid stained his boots. Holding the lantern, he resolutely refused to stare at anything else except the path ahead of him. Grasping the vines, he clambered to the second floor of the temple and stumbled to the central chamber.

A giant skulltula greeted him.

And faintly, he heard the screech of a monkey.

The surroundings burned away; Link only saw his life flashing in front of him and eight hairy legs.

No, not hair, barbs.

Scuttling down a flight of stairs, he wondered if the approaching spider's appendages were naturally crimson or if the bloodstains refused to wash out. Holding his shield in front of his body, Link trembled fearfully, he did not need to glance at Midna, he _knew_ she sneered at him. The sword weighed like a foreign object in his hands and he closed his eyes against the gruesome sight of an abdomen larger than himself. The monster stalked closer and he stabbed, the sword struck true and he cracked an eyelid open to see his weapon biting wood.

"For the love of Hyrule!" Midna screeched. "Open your eyes and fight! Target its weak spots you infernal moron."

Her words encouraged him somewhat.

Mostly, they angered him. She sounded like Orca; they even had the same bloated abdomen. The skulltula's pincers dripped viscid acid and gulping, Link slid underneath the creature. His chest seized, the space constricted him and he slashed wildly. The sword sliced through the monster's abdomen and body fluid rained. Holding his breath, he stabbed again and the monster shrieked a high pitched sound. It toppled down the stairs, on its back and moments later, burst into squares of black.

Numbed by his actions, Link weakly sat on the ground. Spider slime coated his hair and he wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell. As Midna floated closer, he bent over, retched a few times and vomited all over the floor.

Map fisted between her hands, Midna glanced backwards to see Link gorging on food. If there was one thing that cheered the miserable idiot, it was money or food. After throwing this fourth tantrum, she pulled out a loaf of bread and watched fascinatedly as he gulped it down. Now he snacked on a bottle of milk and followed whilst she led them through the dungeon. Apparently, Link could not read maps and nor could he navigate with a compass.

Their previous monkey guide travelled with them and the human saw fit to share his bottle of milk with her. The duo chattered in an odd mixture of human language and monkey screams and when they neared a swinging bridge, the Twilli growled when a large, snow white ape emerged from nowhere and served the bridge in half with an elegant boomerang. A gale brewed in the room and they trio staggered backwards. Seething, Midna wondered if she should go after the ape herself but an undercurrent of fatigue forced her to stop and backtrack. This time, the monkey took over and Link happily trailed her and freed her friends. The smile on his face seemed a little on the innocent side and the imp wondered if deep down, all the hero wanted was to be free from his duties.

Plodding behind a train of monkeys, Link laughed as they tossed him through the air. For a moment, he was back in the sun of Outset Beach, swinging Aryll around and collapsing on the warm brown sands with a dizzying, sweet headache.

Reality set in when he grazed his nose on the ground and peered upwards to see a fleshy, red buttock swinging in front of him. Briefly remembering Midna saying something about an ape, Link smoothly unsheathed his sword and wedged it between the shaking appendages. Grandma said flashing buttocks was the worst insult someone could ever give and he remembered the ear twists and spanks she dished to him that moonless night. The ape screamed, swiping its hand and Link grinned when he squatted and the meaty palm connected with Midna. Still sputtering, the snow white ape dropped the boomerang and fled whilst clutching its behind. Eager to have a new throwing toy, Link scooted to the boomerang and picked it up. Ivory white feathers lined the weapon's edge and he tossed it experimentally, clutching his cap when a fierce gale and a storm of leaves followed the boomerang. Delighted, he decided not to use his sword.

After all, who needed a cumbersome blade when he could whip windstorms with a flick of his wrists?

Unfortunately, Midna confiscated the gale boomerang after the fifth time he threw it. The generated tornado of leaves and wind, almost knocked her off a wooden bridge. Link did not understand the fuss; she could always hover her way up from the chasm.

Bomb flowers. These exploding flowers always fascinated him and when he and his family visited Dragon Roost, he tried to pick one but the adults always warned him against it. Now he understood why. They stank, blew up in his face and his arms ached from ferrying them across. Worse still, there was an insect variety. Insect bombs, Link thought and giggled to himself. He dropped one just as the exoskeleton flashed red and heat caressed his face. The giant parasitic plant shriveled and died, giving him access to a key. He searched Midna's face for an approving smile but got none.

_Witch_.

Marching to her orders like a brain dead soldier, he wiped plant slime on his tunic and snatched the key. Nearly all of the monkeys were freed and it brought a semblance of consolation to his confused conscious. At last, the duo approached the final chamber and he rotated his arms, working out the stiffness and pain from his body. The final landing with the monkeys ended rather roughly, Link fell head over heels and almost broke his neck, and if the boss waited behind this wooden moon gate, he will need every bit of energy he could muster. The boy rather liked this body of his, it was strong, he bounced back from numerous beatings, and he gained an agility only Orca was capable of. Feeling rather confident, Link grasped the big key in his fingers and turned the lock, no longer afraid. He witnessed a lot of horrors in the dungeon.

Nothing could shake him now.

"I don't think...I don't think I signed up for this..." Link did not feel his arms, or legs. He saw a sword and shield in his hands. _When did he?_ A giant pool of acid simmered in front of him. Purple. Purple was _evil_, he concluded sagely. Bubbles popped the surface and he felt sanity desert him. "...Should I fight that? Midna?" he weakly questioned, tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision. Diababa, carnivorous plant pods wobbling on two thin stems, hissed and lunged for him, fat blue tongues dripping saliva over rows of shark teeth. "Please don't make me..." he cried and reeled backwards when a speck of corroding saliva landed on his hand, it stung.

Instead of listening to him, the Twilli predatorily scanned her surroundings; she produced the gale boomerang from a hyper dimensional pocket and forced it into Link's hands whilst he choked back a sob.

Her eye zoomed to the two bomblings hovering behind the parasitic plant. "Just do as I say," she commanded and he nodded, paralyzed by fear. "Do you see those insect bombs behind the monster? Target those and use the wind to carry it over the pods, the bombs will explode and you won't have to dirty your hands, alright?" Midna grinned self satisfactorily and Link threw the boomerang, tear droplets dried on his face. His first lucky throw snared a bombling and it soared, detonating on impact. Inhaling sharply, he scurried away when acid splashed. Shaky determination crawled into his eyes as he repeated the action and the second head joined the first, gurgling under the pool of acid. Sensing victory, Link threw his arms in the air and let out a whoop of joy.

"Not yet!" Midna scowled. "It's not dead, be on your guard."

Reluctantly, Link crouched behind the shield for protection. A small, disbelieved gasp escaped his mouth as Diababa resurfaced, spewing flecks of acid. The two heads emerged with a third, thick plant stalk and it lunged for Link. He hopped backwards and was about to pierce the bud when it opened.

Dropping his sword, Link ogled in mute horror as the bud opened with a wet squelch and he stared at its fleshy, mucus streaked inside. A single, yellow eyeball darted in the bud and slime dripped, puddling on the floor. Eyes rolling upwards, Link collapsed.

His body hit the ground with a dull thud.

Pinching herself to see if this was a dream, Midna cautiously hovered over the hero. Dead as a doornail. She exchanged a curious glance with Diababa and the parasite retreated, uninterested in an unconscious meal. Picking the sword with her hair, Midna flinched. Light, she sneered and with an unearthly howl, hurled the sword at Diababa. The slim blade whizzed through the air and cleanly lopped the main bulb. Heaving, Midna retrieved the sword before it splashed into the acid and wobbled. She chucked it back at Link and the blade missed his outstretched hand by mere inches. Drained of energy, she teetered towards the spread-eagled human and wiped sweat off her brow with a clammy forearm.

"Wake up you useless excuse of a human," she hissed but the sentence tumbled amidst exhausted gasps. The fused shadow osmosed into her body and she fell over Link's legs, her eyelid shutting against her will.

The chamber remained eerily silent, except for the hiss and pop of acid. Twilight Diababa's appendages decayed in the mauve fluid and away from the spherical pool, two individuals rested. Unconscious. A figure clambered down from one of the tunnels leading to the boss room and its body cast a shadow over the slumbering duo. It gently laid Midna on top of Link and picked up the pale human in robed arms. When Link jerked in its sleep, the figure stopped, but the human refused to wake and so, it continued with its journey.

Purpose in its stride.

* * *

**A/N: **Poor Link, falling into a dead faint when seeing Diababa; though, that eyeball thing was pretty gross. For those of you who are short, be like Link. Be a diminutive horror!

Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated.

At 1eragon33: Thank you for your kind words. This chapter probably answered your questions and I hope the story lives up to your expectations.

Gratitude to FriedCuccoLady; gdcintl; Enderslash02; 1eragon33 and bluze for alerting/favoring the story. Ya'll deserve dark chocolate.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hirareth**

"You promised, now take me home."

Midna groggily opened her eye to see a pair of kindly blue irises staring down at her. _Zelda?_ She wondered. "...I want to go home too..." the imp weakly confided and raised a tiny fist to brush against the princess' cheek. She paused when the human came into sharp focus. It was not Zelda; at least, the princess of Hyrule never reeked so badly. Bolting up and hitting Link's jaw with her oversized head piece, she found herself cradled in his lap. A blast of cool air skimmed across her limbs and she surveyed her surroundings whilst Link squatted on the mossy steps leading to the Forest temple and vigorously rubbed his jaw. "Hmph," Midna snorted, "I'm surprised you could retrace your steps from that maze." She twirled around him, noting the lack of malevolent energy emanating from the temple.

The hero shook his head, earring flashing in the sunlight filtering through trees. "I didn't get us out, when I came to, I was asleep in front of the door and you were curled in a ball," he announced and suddenly his gaze bore into hers. "I want to go home," he demanded. "...You can forget about the rupees, I just wanna go home."

Midna rolled her eyes not understanding his fixation with going back home. Gritting her teeth, she laced twig arms behind her head and floated. Relief loosened the tight muscles on Link's face and he followed her, a too innocent smile plastered on his face.

A thought niggled on Midna's mind. _Who carried them out of the Forest Temple?_ She searched between the tree trunks for a shadow, but found none. Letting her suspicions drop, she led the way back to Ordona. Perhaps seeing the miserable state of his home village will motivate the human to work harder and whine less.

Peaceful silence reigned for about approximately two hours. Each second savored by the imp, however, when they trundled past the gate leading to Ordona springs, the human suddenly stopped.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, voice rising to a shrill pitch. "I said I wanted to go home, my home is on an island, I need a boat!" Whipping around, Midna studied him, lately, his mental condition frightened her. "I live across the ocean," Link patiently explained, speaking slowly for the bristling Twilli's benefit. "Ocean...Or sea, whatever you guys call it. And I need a boat to get there. I'm not an expert sailor but the island folks taught me a few things." He frowned. "Where is this place anyway? I don't think I've ever seen such a huge island in any of the maps back at home..." Link trailed off and stomped away to inspect the fruits growing on a nearby tree.

"Ocean?" Bewildered, Midna repeated the question. "You live across the ocean?" Link nodded and stupidly bit into a poisonous fruit; grimacing, he spat the contents on the ground. His actions reminded Midna of one of the snot nosed, human children. A knot of dread frothed in her stomach. "How...Old are you?" She asked and became very still.

Link counted off his fingers. "Me or him?" he asked and pointed to himself. "I don't know about this guy," he tugged his earlobe distastefully, "but I'm twelve." The hero proudly puffed his chest.

"A child?" The imp lazily hovered to the forest floor and stood, chained by shock. "You are a child?" she echoed.

"I'm a man!" Link hissed in reply. "A young man," he hastily added when the demon scowled and bared her teeth. "Grandma said so!" the male sputtered. "I turned twelve on the day that bird took Aryll." He kicked the ground, spraying clods of dirt across Midna who uttered an unspeakable curse. "It's the worst day of my life. And then I wake up in this body and meet you..."

A thick silence choked the air; the insects stopped buzzing. The wind died and Link stared at Midna, did the demon break? She stood on the forest floor, rigid back towards him. Careful not to provoke her, he bent down and poked her shoulder.

The results were instantaneous.

The Twilli rocketed to the air, whirled around and her saffron eye stabbed him mercilessly. "Let me explain something to you," she crisply announced. "You cannot go back home." Midna waited for the inevitable tantrum, screeching and kicking to start. No wonder he acted like a spoiled brat.

Must be one himself.

Instead of flying into a tear streaked and arm waving rage, he simply looked at her. Patches of skin flaked off his nose and cracked lips formed into a surprised oval. Link opened and closed his mouth a few times and inhaled, breath rattling in his chest.

"Oh...Okay," he finally said, voice cracking and tears filling his eyes. "I...Deep down, I thought so." He crouched and drew shapes in the dirt with an index finger. "I knew this place wasn't the Great Sea," he pointed to warm sunshine dancing on still leaves, "It's too different." His words petered into a whisper and large teardrops darkened the ground. "Do you think I'm stuck here forever?" he asked, allowing the tears to trace wet tracks on his cheeks. "Will I never see Aryll or Grandma again?" A soft, broken laugh, out of place with his hiccups, escaped his mouth. "Master Orca is gonna yell at me for missing my sword lessons." The tears came down faster, a waterfall. "Aryll is gonna be stuck in that place forever." He sniffed and wiped his face. "And I'll never keep my promise to Grandma."

Lips curling at the sight of a sobbing, over grown child, Midna marched to him. "Don't worry about your sister," she laid her tiny hand on his, "it seems you and Hyrule's Link...Yes, his name is also Link," she hastily added at his confused pout, "traded places. And trust me; he is far more capable than you are." She broke off and grumbled to herself.

What a bizarre phenomenon, two people, separated by space and most likely time, switched places. The only thread tying them together was their name.

"In case you wanted to know, he is a master swordsman, nothing short of an apocalypse is going to stop him, he will rescue your sister," she consoled and his face visibly brightened. "I...have no idea how to take you back," she waited for his eyes to fill with tears but he surprised her by nodding understandingly, "but the goddesses brought you here for a purpose and if you do not complete it, they will not take you back. Understand?" Again, he nodded and a single drop trailed from his eye, lingered on his chin and fell. "Link..." Midna's voice softened, "I..." she paused and smirked. "You have a home here too. But remember to act like you know them, or else there will be mass panic, and then I'll leave you to fend for yourself." The male shook his head vehemently and she grinned, a fang poking from her top lip. "Good, at least you have your priorities straight. You live alone so the villagers won't bother you so much."

* * *

Stupid Midna.

Jabun damned Midna.

Link swore in his head as he entered the village. Ordona was unlike anything he ever saw, cylindrical huts congregated around a stream traversed by wooden bridges. Little vegetable patches held shiny pumpkins and he tore his eyes from a particularly large one to focus on a big bosomed lady. She wrapped meaty arms around him and whilst he appreciated the warmth and love, he found it difficult to breath. They talked about their kidnapped children and he solemnly promised to bring them back.

His detachment surprised him and when the villagers left, after squeezing his arms and inviting him to scrumptious dinners; instead of feeling elated, an aching tiredness settled in his bones. "Must be getting old," Link muttered under his breath and agonizingly followed the stream southward, the imp's cackling echoed in his head and he wondered if he could split his skull open and extract the resident horror. _What did she find so funny anyway?_ He claimed to suffer from amnesia after a particularly nasty hit to his head and this did not bode well with most of the villagers who stated that they considered Link as their son. At this, the Twilli raucously pounded his head with her disgusting laughter and the people of Ordona cooed over him. Link did not want to be told everyone's name.

He simply wanted to sleep.

Further along the stream stood another man, arm wrapped in bandages. Exhaling defeatedly, the hero waited while the man walked down a stone pathway from his house. "Do you remember me?" he asked and Link gawked, drowning in the kind twinkle of the man's vibrant blue irises.

"Rusl," Midna hissed in his head and he quickly replied.

The fine wrinkles around the man's eyes deepened and he smiled gently. "I'm happy you remember me, and you were so fond of Colin too…" The sun disappeared behind the huts' tiled rooftops and shadows lengthened on the ground. "You should rest my boy," Rusl ruffled Link's hair with his free hand and the hero grimaced, clearly the man had no idea about the substances caking his hair. "I know it's a lot to ask...rescuing the children I mean. But you are our only hope." An acute sadness flashed across Rusl's weathered face.

And Link found himself vowing to make him happy.

"It isn't a problem for me," he assured and drew to his full height. "I'll find them," he promised.

Bopping his head respectfully, Link followed the trail snaking through the village. He emerged at the back where a single house stood. It looked like someone hollowed a fat tree and added decorations. Too tired to scrutinize the modest accommodation, he allowed his feet to guide him inside. Fragrant wooden furniture greeted him and he glanced at shelves crammed with thick, foreboding tomes. Climbing the wooden ladder to the upstairs compartment, Link grinned; at least they both liked to sleep in high places. Exhausted beyond comprehension, he collapsed in his bed.

The next morning he woke up to birdsong. Puffy clouds raced across a cerulean sky and he poked his head out of the window. Link looked at his tunic, prodding the various stains littering the garment. He sniffed himself and wrinkled his nose. _Gross_. Doubling back to his bedroom, he pulled his hat off, got under covers and soon, soft snores rose from the bundle buried under thin sheets.

Three days later, he sat at the table, eyes roving over the tea stained pages of a particularly thick book. The words made absolutely no sense. Cramming his mouth full of pumpkin pie, courtesy of Uli (thank the Gods for her cooking) he drowned a tall glass of milk and licked the white moustache forming across his top lip. Shutting the book with a weighty thud, he slid it back on the shelf and trotted upstairs. The bed invited him with crumpled sheets and fluffy blankets and he was about to dive in when the demon materialized. Still wearing the tunic, Link cast a sidelong glance at her.

"You aren't supposed to come out in public," he stated and the bed creaked.

The imp uttered an accursed screech and yanked the covers off.

"Look at you!" she screamed and he flinched. "Do you think we have time to mope?" Midna pinched her nose. "You smell terrible, go take a bath you stinking bullbo!" Link pouted and shook his head. "Listen to me human, Twilight is spreading across Hyrule as we speak and you better get out of bed and stop it." The male paused with his blankets clutched between scarred knuckles, he snarled and covered himself. "Link, you promised to find the children." The lump under the covers moved. "...You have a duty to fulfill." His head emerged from the tangle of sheets and Midna's face twisted at the shadow of a stubble darkening his jawline. "You think these people will welcome you if you sit and wallow in self-pity?" He stopped crying; instead, Link sat, completely detached to the world and gazed out of the window, from morning till dusk. "Pathetic, you are the most pathetic human I've ever laid my eyes on." Midna hammered, her tiny form quivered in unbridled wrath and she dove back into his shadow.

Link's head receded behind the covers and he scratched his chin with overgrown fingernails. Coarse hair tickled the tips of his fingers. "Well excuse me for being pathetic," he droned. "I'm only a child."

* * *

Another two days later, Link stewed in a wooden bathtub of steaming water. Tendrils of mist coiled upwards, disappearing into an open flap in the roof. Skin rubbed raw and pink, he dunked under water and sputtered when it scalded his face. All the blood and gunk slathered over him washed away and he traced new scars on his skin. Some of them ached, others formed lightened streaks. Tanned skin pruned from prolonged exposure and he emerged from the tub just as Midna returned from whatever she did when he slept.

Lips quirking into a demonic grin, she stuck a fist under her chin and watched Link dry off, water droplets rained from his hair. "I see you have no common decency," she trilled and her smirk grew wider when he turned around; head tilting upwards, she added, "Don't you cover yourself in front of females? Or do you want to show off that badly?"

He frowned and rolled his eyes. "Grandma sees me naked all the time," Link announced and she cackled. "It's true! She bathes me and Aryll." He paused thoughtfully whilst tugging on a pair of cream pants. The tunic, clean and dry, hung on a clothesline. "And Sturgeon told me demons are centuries old..." The smile on Midna's face grew threatening, however, Link blissfully continued, "And since you are some sort of a demon, you _must_ be older than my grandma...Right?" The imp's eye twitched. "Check this out," eyes shining proudly, Link pointed to his abdomen, "I look like Hoskit when he's wearing a tight tunic," he announced. "He says they impress the girls." Midna lifted her eyebrow and briefly prayed to the Goddesses, the situation was _dire_. "So..." he traced the muscles bulging against his skin, "are you impressed?" When her features failed to change, Link spun around and fumbled with the tunic. "Yeah whatever, your face says it all...You are not impressed" He glanced back. "I'm never getting naked in front of you again," he stated, finality lacing his voice.

"Hehehe," the imp shuddered mirthfully and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "That's something we can both agree on.

Approximately one week lapsed since the bathroom incident and now he stood, missing a quiff of sandy hair, in front of forbidding wall. Amber runes and squiggles splayed the shroud of black and Link experimentally poked it with his sword. The gleaming blade tip disappeared but nothing else happened. Silver moonlight winked on blades of grass and exhausted, he sheathed his sword, whatever Midna told him, the space beyond the ebony gate _could not_ be worse than confronting the hero's shade.

Bile rose in his throat as Link recalled his second meeting with the skeleton. There were bruises, another sword lesson in which the spirit refused to let Link go unless he mastered it. And there was pain. The blue-gray specter's disappointment weighed heavily on Link's shoulders and he faced the entrance to Twilight. Midna's explanation of the other world soared over his head, all that mattered was that the children were on the other side and he promised Rusl he would bring them back safely.

Rusl, who helped him back to his feet after he wanted nothing but to sleep the remainder of his life away.

A garish, citrine hand poked from the wall and an obnoxious giggle prefaced Midna's question, "Are you ready?" The hero muttered a response under his breath and the spectral hand pulled him through the wall.

The uncomfortable sensation reminded Link of the time he stepped on a chuchu and the jelly monster wrapped around his waist. Stumbling inside the other world, Link tensed and blinked. The twilight covered Kakariko Gorge looked exactly the same as the villagers described it, except, no people roamed the paths and an off-color, golden glow washed the space. Gaining a small amount of confidence, honestly it compared better to the snow covered realm the orange wolf took him, Link stepped forward.

And pain bowled him over.

He crouched on the ground and howled, vaguely registering the presence of Midna who watched callously. Someone crushed his bones with a hammer, he was sure of it and he rolled over his throbbing forearm and screamed for Grandma to soothe the pain. Pupils dilating and rapidly shrinking, Link shut his eyes against the alternating blurry and sharp vision, his brain pounded and he screeched in pure agony.

"Aaaarrgghhh! Grandma, GRANDMA!" he begged and whimpered. One of his eyelids cracked open and he gazed at his arm, greyish fur covered it and he seemed to be missing a hand. A bark exploded out of his throat and with an expert flick of his wrist, Link slid the sword out and brought it down on his limb. He sawed on the seam, where fur met skin and blood spurted, flecking his face.

Midna examined the gaping wound on Link's forearm by the aid of a full moon. "I warned you," she snapped while he wiped the blood and tears streaking his face.

"You didn't tell me it was _this_ painful," he scathed in return and flinched when she poured a stinging potion over the cut. "You just said I'd turn into a wolf and hunt some bugs and light will come back and the children would be safe." Shoulders sagging and lips forming into a childish pout, Link hissed when the imp bandaged his wound.

It hurt.

Even worse, Midna would never kiss his pain away like Grandma did.

The turquoise veins running across her body glowed eerily under pale moonlight. "If you are not up to the task, let's head back." She peered across the vast expanse of Hyrule field, trekking across took almost an entire week and unfortunately, the assigned hero possessed the attention span of a bored bulblin. He sprang on anything shiny and collected bugs for Zelda knew what. "As a matter of fact," Midna rested on Link's shoulder, "I didn't think the transformation would be this agonizing." The male turned, curiosity gleaming in bright blue eyes. "So are you brave enough to try again?" She grinned, ruffling Link's feathers became her favorite way to kill time. "Or are you going to run away like a cucco?"

Her teasing smile did its job, the human puffed up indignantly.

Exhaling heavily, Link shook his head. "Roasted cucco tastes great..." he mumbled. "I'm hungry."

"You are always hungry," Midna retorted and passed him a bottle of milk. "Do you want to go home or not?"

Drowning the milk in a mere three gulps, he replied, "Growing boys need milk." A heavy pause. "No." Link applied pressure on the wad of bandages and blood bloomed on the cloth. "No, let me try again."

If human Link had the attention span of a bored bulblin; wolf Link had the attention span of a...Of a...Midna did not know what to compare him to. The sacred wolf, whom she paid grudging respect to, bounded across the gorge in gleeful leaps and inspected every darkened patch of soil. Although the wolf allowed Midna to sit on his back without growling incessantly, she often dove into his shadow when he eagerly pawed the ground. Paying scant attention to the beseeching Light spirit, Link splashed in the water and his airy howls punctuated the solemn pleas of Eldin. When she finally steered him to collecting the tears of light by twisting his ears each time he veered off course, Link preferred to bat around the shadow bugs instead of killing them.

He returned to the realm of reality when they barged into a circular sanctuary and he saw the children.

Standing very still, with one paw in the air, Link padded to the kids and the Twilli pulled his ears. "Turn the other way," she hissed, "they can't see you, once you return this realm into Light, they will be saved." Instead of listening, he repeatedly tried to touch the nearest child spirit, a young, freckled girl sobbing in her palms, and when his efforts failed to reach her, he plopped near her feet whined comfortingly.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Wading in shallow waters**

Bobbing on the ocean's rhythmic waves, Link ticked a mental checklist:

Find a way to return to Hyrule.

Tempt Ganondorf out of his wooden nest.

Get something to eat.

Defeat Ganondorf

Learn more about this bizarre world he currently traversed.

Teach himself how to swim.

Save Aryll.

The list ran in no particular order but the last, lingering thought dominated his head. His stomach protested endlessly but he lay there, rising and falling with the waves. An arch of rock curved over, shading him from the worst of the sun's glares and when he moved, the salt starched tunic rubbed his skin raw. The wooden surface of the boat he lay on poked against aching shoulder blades and Link made no effort to get up.

"Are you awake?" The boat's figurehead twisted and Link's heart jumped into his throat, preventing speech. Wooden fangs protruded from the figurehead's bottom lip and speared upwards. A white, cloudy mane framed the dragon's fearsome face and Link's eyes lingered at its paint peeling lips. "Are you awake, child?" the boat repeated and the boy pulled to his feet.

He studied the tiny craft, noting all his belongings strewn on deck. "Where are we?" Link questioned and leapt off the boat, he shaded his eyes and peered on all sides. Only a flat horizon of blue stretched endlessly. "And who rescued me?" The boy turned, waiting for someone else to pop out of the boat. "My name is Link," he politely offered, "and you are?"

The figurehead rotated uncannily, wood scraping against wood. "The King of Red Lions," the boat replied and its mouth clacked open and shut. "And you are Link...A name fit for a hero."

The boy nodded, seized the slim telescope amongst the items littering the boat and put it to his eye. Through the magnified vision, the world did not appear any different, he traced grey outlines of nearby island formations but nothing resembled the stone compound of last night.

Lowering the spyglass, he frowned. Rotating to the boat, he questioned about Ganondorf and saw the painted eyes shine uncannily. "Ah yes..." The King of Red Lions sighed. "You are remarkably well versed in history," the figure praised, "but yes, on to matters, you see, in order to reach Ganondorf you must prove that you are the worthy bearer of the Triforce of Courage and to do that..."

Link's eyes automatically veered to the back of his left hand and he interjected.

"I already have the Triforce of Courage," he raised his hand, "I was born...With...It," he faltered. The back of his hand, pale white and plump, winked merrily in the sun. Salt crusted his fingers but no Triforce image glowed. Bringing up his right hand, Link squinted, wondering if his birthmark traded hands for a day. Nothing. "I...Right...So I have to prove myself now," he solemnly concluded. The sudden loss of the Triforce of Courage, floored him. Dizzy, he closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "I don't think we have much time." Link ignored another growl from his stomach and waded through the shallow sea water, he reached for a map inside the boat. "So where do we go next? Once Ganondorf makes an appearance in the world, time is of essence," he stated.

Silence answered him.

Peering at the map, Link stared at the foreign words, despair rooting in his stomach. Little islands dotted the parchment, names scrawled neatly underneath the landmasses. At least it confirmed his suspicions, he was not in Hyrule. Rolling the map and slotting it in a box, he expectantly waited for the boat to answer.

"Our next stop is Dragon Roost Island," the King of Red Lions responded and jerked when Link climbed in the boat and rearranged the items littering the deck. "But to get there I need a sailcloth. I cannot set sail without one."

The boy's head twisted sharply to the mast where no cloth hung, he eyed the boat suspiciously. "...You can't set sail without the sail cloth?" Link confirmed and the boat nodded. "Then...how did you make it all the way here?" He swept a palm over the flat horizon. "The stone fortress must be some distance away if I cannot see it with the aid of a magnifier." He tapped a finger on the spyglass hanging off his belt. An uncomfortable lull settled between the two as Link resolutely stood on tiptoes, hair brushing the figurehead's chin. "Anyway," he waved dismissively, "I will find a sail for you." He pried the dragon's maw apart and peeked inside to an all-consuming darkness. "Don't worry," he called whilst the King of Red Lions sputtered, "I will not hurt you; you can come out of hiding now."

Link patiently waited for someone to pop out of the space; surely another human manned this craft? Judging by the tiny area inside the figurehead, he assumed the sailor must be a child. A very small child. Or maybe it might be another specie altogether.

"It must be uncomfortable squatting in such a cramped space, don't worry," he assured gently, "I'll protect you from harm." He waited another minute and retracted his head, letting the mouth clack shut.

"There is no one hiding inside of me," the boat exasperatedly explained as the boy continued ogling him shiftily. "I'm the one doing the talking. It's projecting magic child. Do you not know about magic?"

Link stopped twirling his blade and fiercely glowered at the King of Red Lions. "I am not a child; please _do not_ refer to me as such." The words seeped through clenched teeth and his pitch irises glittered venomously. "I may have the stature of a twelve year old but I assure you, I am much older." His sword blade whistled through the air one last time and he buried it in its leather sheath. "_Magic?_" Polite facade shattered, one corner of the boy's mouth inched upwards into a mocking smile. "_Humans_ cannot perform magic, only the accursed Twilight race dabbles in such..." his lips twisted, "malediction."

Climbing out of the craft, Link glanced at the boat and noted its lacquered surface.

_Magic_. He snorted.

Letting the subject slide, he nodded respectfully to the King of Red Lions and trudged away from the hidden cove. Patches of white salt sparkled on the tunic and he wearily limped across the beach and up the grassy slopes of Windfall Island. A giant windmill and a search light dominated the northern, top most tip of the stepped island and white stone buildings glowed under sunlight. Rubbing his eyes to keep them from snapping shut, Link barely passed through a handsome archway when a stranger descended on him.

The man, clothed in rags and teeth stained by alcohol, grabbed him by the skinny forearm. "Will you listen to my request?" he demanded. The rest of the community sent the man disgusted glowers but Link patiently nodded and smiled. "I'll even pay you." The hero flinched when spittle dotted his chin and he shook his head in a negative. "...Oh, Jabun bless you young man," the grip tightened for a second and fell away and the man related his story amidst sobs. "You see my daughter; my precious baby girl was kidnapped from right under my nose." Against his will, Link's irises travelled upwards and he grimaced at the nostrils stuffed with hair. "I was minding my own business when all of a sudden this giant bird blocks out the sun," at this statement, Link regarded the man seriously, "and the monster just swoops down and snatches my daughter away!"

Limbs growing cold, Link realized the same thing happened to Aryll and that is why he, _no this boy_, left home.

To find and bring his little sister home.

Politely shrugging the man off, he stumbled to the main street and collapsed in the shade of higher, stone walkways. Windfall Town presented a picture perfect scenery. Alabaster domiciles, capped with mossy tiles, peppered the area. Stalls and little coffee houses lined the main street and ornamental flowers thrived in corners. Nose tickled by a large daisy, Link stared at a torn petal and contemplated.

Thinking of Aryll induced no feelings. _He did not know her,_ but the expression of sheer relief on her face, refused to leave his mind. So he had a sister…

What of it?

Did he have any other family?

Aryll was simply another girl caught in Ganondorf's schemes. If he eliminated the threat, the rest of the casualties would cease to pile up. However, he could not help taking the kidnapping personally.

Of all the people living across the Great Sea, why _his _sister? What did she do to deserve being locked up in an airless, lightless room?

The more the thought about it, the angrier he felt.

Stepping off the paved path, he retraced his steps back to the grassy incline and found two young girls whispering and gawking at him from the corner of their eyes. Disregarding them, Link resolved to spend time alone and therefore, pulled into a solitary hill barred with a white picket fence. Along the way, he met a man with a blinding smile and offered one of his own. As Link briskly hiked next to a redbrick wall, he stopped and paced back to find a door set in the building. Curious, he pushed it open and a blast of dank, basement air caressed his face.

He knew this air very well.

It reeked of a dungeon.

Before he pretended to not see the revolting character squatting inside the roomy cell; the figure, clad in a dark green body hugging suit, waddled to him and Link nearly wept. The bulging potbelly spilling over the character's low belt, reminded him woefully of his own body.

The one he herded goats with, not this pale white, baby fat cushioned one.

Tingle, with his strawberry nose and grandiose dreams of becoming a fairy (Link inwardly guffawed) begged him to step on a switch and the boy reluctantly set man free. Twirling gaily, the man pressed a chart in Link's hands and received a lopsided smile before prancing away.

Wooden door shutting behind the flamboyant character, Link stepped inside the cell, interested in the large block of stone covering the middle of the back wall. Normally, stone blocks huddled in corners. Rolling the chart and sticking it into his belt, he stalked to the stone and after much grunting, sweating and cursing, the block rolled to the side. A little rat hole opened up and a fresh breeze blew into the room. On his hands and knees, Link navigated the tight tunnel, at the first left turn, a rat waited for him. The rodent grinned at him with a pair of oversized teeth and Link's hand shot out, clamping around it throat. It grew limp in his fingers. Continuing forward, Link throttled two other lilac furred rats and emerged into another hiding place.

Skulls littered the corners and Link kicked a cranium with his damp boot. Cobwebs slung on slate walls and a wooden chest, caked with years of dust, sat on a circular platform. Giving the chest a rough kick, he was rewarded with a vicious throb of his toes and the wooden casket broke at the seams. Inside, he reached for a little box and turned it over in his hands. A large lens protruded from the middle and he peered into it, seeing nothing. Shrugging, he bundled the box under his arms and retraced the path back outside.

In the sun, he again examined the little box. Painted in the bright colors of red and yellow, the item seemed to be in a well preserved condition. Deciding to ask about the object, Link cast a longing glance at the outcrop of rock to his left and descended the hill. A group of burly sailors acknowledged him with a polite nod and he curtly bowed back. As Link crossed the threshold where earth gave way to stone, he tripped over a leg, stumbled and eventually fell flat on his face. A chorus of snotty laughter echoed above him and he got up, wiping his tunic free of dust and replacing the windsock hat on his head.

A tiny rip near the cuff snared his attention; he will have to repair that sometime later.

A quartet of boys circled him like wild animals and Link studied them, noticing haughty expressions and studs winking on earlobes. No male on the island wore earrings, except that one swearing sailor.

Link waited for them to peel away but the boys leered at him. "Hey, you are new on the island right?" The group stopped and reformed, fanning the bleached blonde speaker on both sides. "Just to let you know, I'm Ivan, and we," he gestured to the posse, "are the Killer bees." He waited for a response and Link raised an eyebrow. Biting edge creeping in his voice, Ivan continued, "This town is _our_ turf," he jammed a thumb against his sternum and leaned forward, "and you better stay off _our_ turf." Ivan hissed and stepped back, a mocking smile on his face.

Eyebrow still cocked, Link raised his hands in a submissive gesture and the boys cleared the path.

Without looking backwards, he ran up the steps, breeze playing with his cap. Windfall Island's main street sprawled in all directions. Briefly forgetting about the box, Link calmly strolled the avenues, eyes skimming over moss slicked rooftops and raised stone walkways. The people of the town walked past him with contented, lazy grins and Link mirrored their serenity. It must be nice, he thought, sitting on one of the parapets, soaking in the morning sun with a mug of steaming milk. Talking with someone...Being with someone familiar. He stopped. Above him, the walkways intersected and shaded the area below. Without the sun, the space grew chilly. A blackboard cropped to his left, a school? Without thinking, he pushed the door aside and the scent of ink and pages hit his nose.

A classroom.

A fond smile laced his lips as he remembered his own horrid days. The starched uniform Mother forced on him, clamped around his throat and the shorts exposed his skinny knees. Lips quirking downwards, he spied a teacher with a mass of outrageous, pink hair and bowed. Muttering an apology, Link prepared to shuffle out of the class but the woman beckoned him closer.

"I have never seen you before." Mrs. Marie squinted kindly at him and Link introduced himself. "My, such a polite child," the teacher sighed and he patiently listened as she related her woes. "There are such wonderful children in Windfall Town." Mrs. Marie tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and Link's eyes snapped to her fingernails. Cropped short but painted an eye watering shade of pink. "But thanks to those four...they hardly come to school." She paused and ambled to one side of the classroom, running her hands over a shelf of children's' books coated in a thin layer of dust. "Education is important, but if those four could just stop harassing the rest and try to learn, it would be rewarding for all of us you know?" She smiled helplessly.

"Would you like me to talk to them for you?" Link asked and the teacher's eyes lit up.

Mrs. Marie briskly strode back to him, her heels clopping on the cement floor. "You would do that for me?" she requested and Link nodded. "Oh, thank you so much, you are such a kind child."

Bristling at her insistence to call him a child, Link prowled around the possible hiding spots of the Killer Bees gang. He cracked his knuckles; they were stiff from disuse. Looping around the proud archway of Windfall Island, Link saw the bushes move and suppressed a feral smile. Amateurs. Even goats hid better than that. Stalking to the bush, Link thrust his hand in the mess of deep green foliage and roughly pulled out an indigo haired...Girl?

The female shrieked, pried his fingers off the front of her shirt and sped out of town. Recovering from the shock and mortification, Link gave chase, the wind rushing through his hair.

He missed Epona.

Three children lined against the wall and glared at him vindictively. They obtusely refused to tell him where Ivan hid but Link did not care. As long as they did not run off and warn their punk leader, Link would find him. The children kept their word and stayed put whilst he climbed on the higher walkways and scanned the town like a hawk. His boots dried on his feet but all his clothing needed a thorough wash. Spying the bleached blonde hiding in the branches of the tallest pine cone, Link applauded, how ingenious. Nimbly jumping down the elevated passage, he strolled nonchalantly to the docks and stood right under the tree.

Jeans clad legs wrapped around the trunk, Ivan peeked down and scowled fiercely, if the little runt thought he'd play nice and come down...Well, the gang leader simpered, he's sorely _mistaken._

Blessed with a healthy dose of patience, Link leaned against the tree and bit into an egg sandwich provided by Mrs Marie. At this, the tree shook. Licking his fingers free of breadcrumbs, Link waited for Ivan to descend but the boy possessed a stubborn streak. A roundhouse kick to the tree eventually startled the blonde off and he crashed a few feet from the base and grimaced. Pouncing on him, Link smiled pleasantly and greeted.

"Hello Ivan." The boy muttered rude words under his breath and Link serenely continued, "It's nice to see you again."

For reasons unknown, they saw him fit to be an honorary Killer Bee member. Laughing, he saluted lazily to Ivan and reported the entire incident to Mrs. Marie. The teacher nearly wept from joy and pressed a purple rupee in his palms. Declining the money, Link pointed to a row books. "Oh no dear," Mrs. Marie shook her head and veered to a thick novel, "you look too intelligent to be reading beginners' books, how about these?"

The boy smiled wanly. "I don't know how to read..." he confessed and swept his hair back. Images of leather-bound tomes, books on black magic and ancient history, surfaced in his mind and he wondered if Rusl ever suspected him reading about forbidden subjects. "Therefore I'd like to teach myself, if you could give me something basic, I'd appreciate it very much." Link left the school with an armful of reading books and nursery rhymes. Hopefully the talking dragon boat could teach him how to read this strange language. But...how did he know how to speak?

* * *

A musty smell wafted from the gallery and Link's eyes roamed over pictures. Monochrome paintings and color images, framed by precious metal, mounted the walls. Candle light flickered across the images, throwing capering shadows on painted surfaces. Suddenly, he searched, somewhere in this vast and dusty gallery, he might find a picture of _him_. Urgency forced him to scrutinize every detail in the images till he gave up and slogged back to the counter.

Nothing.

Lenzo the shopkeeper, sported a hefty, dark brown beard which trembled each time his opened his mouth. He spoke about looking for a research assistant and glanced at Link listlessly. Words falling on deaf ears, the boy examined a box with a protruding lens that sat on the counter and fumbled inside his backpack, bringing out a similar box.

"Hoho!" Lenzo pounced, pointing a fat finger at the object in Link's hands and eyes shining triumphantly, declared, "That is a very fine pictobox you have there my boy!" he boomed and Link, surprise etched on his face looked up.

What in Hylia's great name was a picto-box?

Several explanations and demonstrations later, Lenzo booted his new research assistant from his shop and Link stared at the still foreign object in his hands. So all he should do is point at a view, he angled the lens to a young lady clad in an orange dress. Put his eye to it, Link raised the box to his eye. And press a button, he clicked a button on the side and a still, black and white pictograph fluttered out of the box. The image induced a warm flush of pride and he looked upwards to see a couple staring awkwardly at him. Bowing and scooting away, Link tinkered with the box till the sun cast long shadows on Windfall Town.

Dusk ushered him to a rowdy tavern hidden under a stone staircase.

The wooden door creaked open on rusty, brass hinges and Link stepped inside. The occupants inside the bar, collectively turned to ogle or glare at him. Brushing their glowers off with a disinterested snort, he strutted between bar stools, boots gliding soundlessly across the ground. Smoke spilled from pipes and tattoos rippled on hairy forearms. Link pulled up at the counter and frowned when his head refused to rise above the horizontal slab of polished wood. The bar maid smiled pityingly at him and parted her glossy lips. "I'm sorry," she polished a wine glass till it shone in the muted glow thrown by wall sconces, "but children are not allowed in here after six o'clo-"

Slamming money on the counter, Link hopped on a metal stool and laid his pictobox next to the money. "I'd like a large glass of milk," he stated, "_please._" The patrons inside the bars shifted and the barmaid petrified, a service smile plastered on her face. Dropping his chin inside cupped hands, Link waited for her to get his milk. "Do I need to repeat my order?" He growled in his high pitched voice. The bar maid squeaked and rushed off. Twisting around, Link smiled and waved at the other patrons and they sheepishly averted their gazes elsewhere.

Except for the hooded figure in the corner.

A large, front teeth protruded from behind his top lip and glinted in the low light as he spoke into his palm.

"Yes," he whispered as a screen of thick smoke obscured the tiny form sitting at the bar. "I found him."

* * *

**A/N: **Brownie points to whoever figured out the identity of the hooded figure. Although it's kind of a dead giveaway. Both Links are suffering from existential crises. Incidentally, I'm very close to my siblings, my beloved Mindy, even if she drives me crazy sometimes, is the reason for my existence while she has a big brother complex…sort of.

Now where does that leave me?

Please read and review, constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Brownies to all.

At 1eragon33: Poor Wind Link indeed, it only gets worse. At James Birdsong: :) At FCL: More than artistic liberties, I just didn't remember it that well, but yeah, artistic license! I wanted the Shade to be cranky but WW Link is pushing his buttons all in the wrong places. Switching? Eh, better read and find out :P Thank you for the in-depth review, it was a pleasure to read. I hope this story lives up to your expectations.

Gratitude to Flame Darkmoon for liking the story.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Professional hero AND professional treasure hunter**

_Red sky at night, sailor's delight. _

_Red sky in the __morning__, sailor's __warning..._

Rosy clouds amassed on the eastern horizon and the King of Red Lions bobbed in the water. The ocean remained deceptively calm, white foamed wavelets lapped against his hull but he knew better. The sun rose and more color seeped into the clouds. From rose to crimson to ruby. Shifting, he heard a clatter on the deck, so the hero did not put away the stone. Twisting backwards, he spied a glint of cyan, the stone briefly sparkled and a voice bled from it. Listening intently, the boat nodded a few times, he never spoke and when the report died, he sighed heavily.

_Time is of essence_, he remembered Link saying, brow furrowed and wearing an unnaturally solemn expression for a twelve year old. When the boy spoke about Ganondorf, a gleam of hatred passed his eyes and the King of Red Lions did not understand why. The resentment was passive, someone cultivated it inside him. _Who?_ The stone, tangled with a fisherman's knot, did not light up again and he patiently waited for Link to return with the sail. Did finding a sail take this long? And more importantly…

What did a child want in a bar?

* * *

Waiting for Fado to wake him with a bellow fit to raise the dead, Link snuggled deeper under the covers. His eyes snapped open. The rancher never missed a day and Link trusted his friend to be punctual but the amount of sleep he got today, felt suspicious. Unable to ignore his body's biorhythm, he pushed the covers off and blinked wearily, tilting back to the bed. Only when he reached for his freshly laundered tunic, laying on a nearby chair and several sizes too small, did the situation dawn…

Fado could not wake him up.

_He did not exist. _

The thick material rested painfully on salt scoured skin and Link examined his toes, prodding the swollen appendages and hissing in pain. Pulling on the boots, he grabbed his weapon and shield, strapped the bulging wallet on his belt and set off with the pictobox slung in a backpack. Piling a handful of rupees on the bar counter, Link bowed to the inn's serving ladies and they waved him off, worried smiles crinkling at the edges of their lips. The door groaned an ungodly sound in the early morning and he stepped out. Sunlight rested on his hair puff and a stiff breeze wafted the smells of fish and salt under his nose. Clutching his black and white photographs, Link trundled to Lenzo's photography studio and came out with a Deluxe pictobox, now he could snap pictographs in color and record his journey.

"…"

People's choice of clothing hardly bothered Link; he preferred to draw his attention to what they were capable of. Standing in front of a dubious, open air stall situated at the end of Windfall Town's main street and shaded by a flight of stairs; Link examined the goods. Mostly, his coal black eyes hopped over questionable wooden crates and he scrutinized the shop keeper.

Clad in a thick, navy blue jacket and a fur lined hood which swallowed half of his face, Zunari endured Link's open mouthed scrutiny, the shoppers never failed to subject him to a thorough stare. Coughing politely in a fist, Link pointed to the only sail and the man's eyes lit up, he procured the item on the black market.

Telling the customer proved to be a mistake, the little guy cocked his head this way and that, mistrust cleanly shining through vacuous irises. At last, he caved, deposited an amount of money on the low counter and stalked away, shoulders squared. When the distance between Link and the shop increased to one meter, Zunari's skin prickled and he glanced up to see the child glaring at him with the force of a hundred, blood thirsty wolves. Where the boy learned to glower like that, Zunari never bothered to find out, but right there, he prayed to the Deku Tree and vowed to earn an honest earning.

Soft footfalls alerted the King of Red Lions to Link's return. The boy left deep footprints on wet sand and did not scurry away when the tide lunged, threatening to soak him from head to toe. Arms laden with supplies, books and food, he stopped inside the sheltered cove and searched the deck, presumably for the mysterious individual manning the craft. Offering the hero a small smile, the boat assured, "There is no one hiding inside of me, I promise." Lips quirking, Link dumped the contents of his arms on deck and held a loaf of bread to the figurehead's mouth. "Link, I'm an inanimate object," the King of Red Lions patiently explained and the boy lowered the loaf. "I appreciate your concern." Because why would the boy even think to _feed_ a boat? "But I do not need sustenance." Far from looking gratified or pleased, Link stomped on the deck and meticulously packed the things away.

"Surely you need something for energy?" The hero accused and unfurled the sail cloth, it billowed in the wind. "How do I tie this?" he asked, hair whipping over his eyes.

The boat rotated. "Do boats need another energy source besides the wind?" he asked and waited for Link who hunted for an answer, brows drawn and chin resting on a pudgy fist. "Ships can be manned by employing people to row for the captain, but I'm barely big enough for three full grown people." Link's eyes snapped sharply to the figurehead but he relaxed when the boat meant no harm. "Tie the sail cloth to the mast at the top; make sure you do not fall off." Link scampered up the tall shaft of wood and expertly tied one end of the cloth, still holding the other end; he shimmied down and waited for instructions. "Connect the other part to the horizontal boom and we are finished." The boy knotted the other end and staggered as a breeze blew the boat further out. "Now we are good to go," The King of Red Lion's praised as Link balanced on the swaying boat and surveyed his handy work. "You can control the direction by adjusting the sail," the boat further informed whilst Link pored over the map and compass.

"You must teach me how to read," he off handedly suggested and scowled at the map.

The King of Red Lions frowned. "No self-respecting young adult, considering you are one, based on your...Mannerisms," he tactfully stated, "should be illiterate." He waited for the child to bristle and offer more information, instead, the corner of Link's mouth curled upwards in a resigned smile. "You are not lying to me are you?" The boat reproached and the boy shook his head. "Well, you will pick it up quickly, I am sure."

Link peered at his compass, tapped the cover and after making sure it worked correctly, announced, "We should head for Dragon Roost Island if I recall correctly." He settled on the deck and waited for the King of Red Lions to soar over the water, instead, the wind pushed the boat further out of the cove and it skimmed over the sea surface an agonizingly slow pace. "Can't you go faster?" Link held the mast and complained, "At this rate, it will be quicker to swim across!"

A deep sigh and a creak of wood bled from the boat. "You cannot sail can you?" Link reluctantly nodded. "Tell me, where are you from? No one, absolutely no one your age on these islands," the boat indicated the vast sea with his head, "is ignorant about the basics of sailing."

"I'm from Hyrule," Link confessed, voice small.

_If I had a heart_, the King of Red Lions mused, _this is the part where I get a heart attack and die._ Link shiftily eyed the figurehead. "Hyrule?" The boat probed and received a languid nod. _Why? That land lies at the bottom of the sea!_ Silence reigned, but the howling wind shattered it repeatedly. "So you cannot sail," The King of Red Lions factually stated and nodded, _of course not, Hyrule did not have any seas._ "Then we shall learn. Dragoon Roost is too far away; we shall circle these waters for a few days and set sail once you grasp the basics."

"No." The boy's voice rose in panic. "We do not have time!" he urged. "We have to get to the island and I must reclaim the Triforce of Courage. Ganondorf must be sealed at all costs." Link gripped the mast, sweaty fingers digging into the wood.

"I understand we are pressed for time," the King of Red Lions tolerantly spoke, "but there is a storm on the horizon." He pointed to the ominous gathering of clouds. "And you cannot sail. It is better to wait and learn rather than rush headlong into danger without proper preparations." Link deflated. "Whilst I have little doubt about your skills with a sword," the figurehead smiled, "I very much doubt your ability in handling a boat and reading naval maps, on top of that, you confessed your illiteracy."

The boy rolled his eyes.

"...Therefore, it is best to stay close to Windfall Island for a while, this is a trading Island, if you need anything, you will get it here if nowhere else." Squatting on the deck, Link nodded and crossed arms over his chest. "You understand well," the boat said, "this will make communication easier." He swung east. "Look through the telescope and tell me what you see." The boy hauled to his feet and complied with the request, he reported his findings without emotion. "That is Pawprint Isle, it is quite close. For today's exercise, we shall sail there, explore the island thoroughly and come back to Windfall the next morning." Link scrunched his nose, mildly insulted at being treated like a brat. "Also, you must hone your skill in pilfering."

Sniffing, Link turned his chin upwards and fiddled with the sail whilst his companion dictated. "I do _not_ pilfer," he vehemently stated, disgusted by the very thought.

"Oh but you will." The King of Red Lions smiled, painted eyes twinkled mirthfully. "If you want to survive the Great Sea as a lone sailor, pilfering becomes a revered art."

* * *

Sailing, Link considered as he kept a firm grip on the horizontal boom, was not so bad. The wind whipped his cap; sea spray stung his eyes. In a way, it reminded him of galloping across Hyrule fields atop Epona, with the earthy wind sweeping his sandy hair backwards.

Except he did not have to lean out of the boat trying to hit a shark. These 'sharks' (as the King of Red Lions called them) were natural predators of the sea, and they did not take kindly to anyone entering their territories.

Fingers growing numb from clutching the horizontal boom, Link noticed a shift in the wind and adjusted the sail cloth accordingly. "You learn fast," The King of Red Lions roared over crashing waves, "you impress me, Link." The figurehead turned around to smile warmly whilst Link relaxed, flushing from such easy and heartfelt praise. People hardly praised him; they took one good look and expected him to be capable of feats written in the ancient tomes. The Hero of Twilight... "We are nearing Pawprint Isle," the boat shouted, tugging Link away from his thoughts, "tell me, what do you see?" Collapsing the sail, Link waited for the boat to slow to a crawl and paddled to the shore.

One, roughly circular mass of land surrounded by five other smaller landmasses, conspired together to form Pawprint Isle, Link paddled furiously and circuited the island, searching for watchtowers or the occasional monster. He saw none. Rowing to the shore, he hopped out of the boat, tethered the King of Red Lion's to a stake and surveyed the island. Palm trees fringed the rocky shore and grass grew plentiful. Great, Link drew his sword and sighed, _grass_. The thick blades reached his thighs and he hacked the foliage experimentally.

Back in Hyrule Castle, the guards used Link as the lawn mower. They handed him a sword and watched as he gritted his teeth and swung till his arms ached. Objects he found in the grass, which ranged from rupees, empty bottles, insects and jewelry cast offs, belonged to him. Steering his contemplations away from harrowing memories, he hiked the steep slope and the sun cast long shadows over the island.

"Be careful," The King of Red Lion's called and Link whipped backwards, eyes narrowing. "...I'm not saying such because I think of you as a chi-" the boat hastily attempted to explain, however Link interjected.

"Thank you," he quickly dipped his head and offered a polite smile, "for your concern. I'll explore the island before coming back; hopefully it won't be too long." Saying this, his tiny form, illuminated by the dying sun, disappeared.

The overgrown grass had a mind of its own, Link dully concluded as he grunted and hacked.

Grass tickled his chin and green stains streaked his tunic. Wiping sweat from his brow, he cut a path and searched. What he searched for, he did not know, and he briefly wished to backtrack and elicit more information from the boat. Alone, Link's mind veered to his enigmatic companion, the craft reminded him of Rusl. A heavy weight settled on Link's arms and he lowered his weapon. Closing his eyes, he breathed in and out, cleared his mind and resumed hacking the grass with vengeance.

Slice.

Slice. The sword blade whistled through the air and bundles of green grass rained on him like confetti. A neat path ran towards the giant dome in the middle and he searched the base of the rock. Nothing. Frowning, he cleared the foliage growing around the perimeter of the gigantic stone. Sweat snaked from beneath his hat and his breath puffed in ragged gasps. Finally, he spied a square hole and eagerly, he dropped to his hands and knees, investigating the entrance. Damp, mossy air brushed against his lips and Link stuck his head inside the hole and called out. His voice reverberated. Hearing no other sounds, he crawled into the tight fit tunnel and exhaled sharply when the burrow abruptly ended and he fell.

An unforgiving platform of granite lay at the bottom to break his fall and Link curled to reduce impact, he could already hear his bones shattering.

Instead of ploughing into the rock and lying there, dazed with a shattered skull, Link descended slowly. Airily. He frantically searched the smooth cave for signs of air currents but found none. Floating gently to his feet, he looked upwards to see a shaft of sparkling light shining on the very spot he stood. Shaken, he scrambled off the elevated platform and scrutinized the silver beam.

_Magic? _

Magic did not exist naturally.

Lips pressing into a grim line, Link whirled around, weapons drawn. A scuttling at the far end forced him to charge towards the corner and he expertly jerked back when a creature scraped the ceiling and plopped to the floor. A mere one foot away from him, a red chuchu grinned and slinked along the ground, leaving a trail of crimson, glistening slime on the grass. Sticking his sword between its film covered eyes, Link retrieved a bottle from his backpack and scooped some of the gel inside the bottle. Chu jelly could be used to craft potions. Sniffing the bottle, he gingerly licked his finger and paused.

Strawberry.

Licking his lips, Link drowned the contents in one healthy gulp and searched for more chuchus, the ones in Hyrule, were tasteless and odorless and they could not be eaten raw. Spying a congregation of the ruby delicacy, he brandished his sword and broke into a trot. The mass of jelly-like beings let out an imperceptible squeak of terror and immediately surged to safety, far from the deranged human and its crazy antics.

After half an hour of fruitless coaxing, Link solemnly trudged to a large chest hidden behind a row of low growing shrubs, he pried the chest open, recovered a polished container and stalked back towards the ivory slant of light. Eyes forcibly tearing away from the platform, he searched for a ladder or strategically placed footholds to take him back to the surface, but nothing cropped in his vision. Skeptically, the boy stepped on the illuminated patch and hovered upwards, twirling gently all the while. The light wedged him into the dark tunnel and mind numbed; he scraped along till the crawlway spat him back on open land. Link stared at the perfectly smooth dome of rock. Gravity must be wonky, he decided weakly, legs quivering. Angrily commanding his body to be still, he slowly retraced his steps back to the rocky shore. Moonlight painted the King of Red Lions into a whitewashed red and comforted by the paint peeling boat, Link climbed on deck, curled into a ball and lay, his eyes wide open.

Magic did not exist naturally; he kept on repeating to himself, so what in Nayru's name happened in that cave?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**The slim sumo wrestler**

Midna, lip curling unpleasantly to reveal a fang, observed the sacred wolf upend its stomach at the foot of Eldin's spring.

Not even the appearance of the Light Spirit was enough to shake Link from his nausea and he wailed, body shuddering as another mouthful of insect fluid and bile, rose up his esophagus and squirted out of his mouth. Feeling nauseous herself, Midna looked away and color leached out of her skin. Eldin, restored to his light bestowing glory, unfolded his wings and the sheer brilliance of his flavescent form almost killed her on the spot. She flinched, her skin and body burned and yet when she turned to Link, the wolf panted, tongue hanging out and dripping slimy, luminescent saliva. Inwardly snarling, she switched her attention back to Eldin and listened intently to his words.

Meanwhile, Link morphed back into a human.

The regression did not hurt any less, this time, Link tried to detach himself from his surroundings but pain, _god awful_ _pain_, snapped his bones, stung his throat and he clawed himself, tearing through the tunic's sleeve and scoring three claw streaks on his human arm. Drowning. Link thought and gasped for air. Burning. He wanted to jump in the ocean but each time he reached for it, the tide receded. Eldin burned his retinas and wolfish eyes resumed its normal, low resolution, human vision. Coughing, Link rose from the refreshingly cool water lapping against his skin and sat, groggily listening to the Light Spirit as it dished out another set of instructions. He wished the buzz in his ears could completely blot out the bird-like creature's grave sermons. A group of children huddled at the edge of the spring and their worried murmurs reached his ears. Eldin exhausted his lecture after a few more agonizing heartbeats and as the light flared and died down, so did Midna dive in his shadow.

Groaning, Link pulled to his feet and limbs weighing akin to lead, he approached the children, plastering on a smile for their benefit.

When he reached the lip of the spring, a blond boy with gentle features burst into tears and hugged him tightly, sobbing inconsolably. The rest regarded him with tear filled eyes and Link gently cradled the boy closer to him. _Think of Aryll,_ he muttered to himself. They need you, like Aryll needs you. Crouching, he ran his fingers through the boy's fine hair and mumbled tender consolations.

"Its fine, it's okay, those monsters will never reach you again, Nolan."

"It's Colin," Midna hissed in his head and he stiffened.

"Colin," Link sniffed and the others swarmed him. A midget stood to the side and he wondered if anything bothered the child. Swallowing a flood of tears threatening to swell out of his eyes, Link smiled comfortingly and sniffed. He was twelve, the same age as them. Someone should be comforting _him_, instead, he comforted himself by holding onto others.

Not fair.

He envisioned Grandma's warmth and the aroma of elixir soup which always hung around her. Hugging Colin tighter, he bit on his lips and cried.

So unfair.

He did not want to be a hero.

And he wanted to go home.

Patting the other children on their heads, he hastily wiped his eyes and sat with them, listening to their stories whilst Midna snidely remarked about their personalities. Soil stained his tunic and Colin, along with Talo, clamored for space on his lap. The children chattered till they fell asleep, leaning against him with their warm bodies. Nearby, the water in Eldin's spring gurgled softly and dust clouds swept the streets. Renado, the shaman who bravely sheltered the missing children of Ordon, woke the group up and ushered them back to his house.

The moment they left, Midna popped out and dug her elbow in Link's shoulder. "How touching," she announced and wiped a fake tear, "your reunion with the brats almost made me cry." Face morphing into a malicious smile, she pointed at the foreboding mounting looming over Kakariko village. Link desperately tried not to look at the belching mountain but he _bet_ his marble collection that the demon wanted him to go there next. "We need to go to Death Mountain..." The Twilli yammered an explanation but Link failed to hear anything after _Death Mountain_. "...The Goron mines and village is situated there and we can find the next fused shadow." Mind reeling, Link wondered what Gorons were, they sounded like a race of children eating creatures.

"...I need to go up that smoking mountain?" Link clarified and prayed for the imp to answer in negative.

"Yes!" Crowed Midna and twirled gaily. "Up the smoking mountain and possibly through it as well," she grinned slyly when Link gulped audibly, "are you scared?" She prodded his cheek as he marched forward, past dilapidated houses and shops with rotting signs. Kakariko village reeked of dust and decay and one of the hanging signs creaked in a violent gust of wind and dropped off. Jumping, Link checked over his shoulder, ice blue eyes roamed over a window less shop-front and when monsters failed to pop up, he resolutely continued striding out of the village.

A metallic grate halted his progress and he flexed his fingers. A bruised ache shot through them but subsided instantly. Gripping the rusting grill, Link scuttled up. At the top, he came face to face with a hunched creature squinting at him with hateful eyes. The rocky thing lunged and shoved Link cleanly off the platform.

Too surprised to scream, he simply gaped at the creature with a small round head, perched on an orotund body. "Humans," it snarled in a fairly legible tone, "are not allowed after this point." The Goron blurred at the edges and a sharp pain rocketed through Link's skull.

Reducing everything to black.

* * *

Waking up to the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread, Link shot up in bed and eagerly reached for the salver next to him. "Your appetite never ceases to amaze me," Midna casually stated and checked her nails. The human slowed in his eating but did not stop. Crumbs littered his cheeks and after polishing the last slice and staring forlornly at the empty tray, he sighed heavily and leaned back on the pillows.

"At least I impress you in something," he retorted and fixed his cap. "I want milk." He heaved out of bed. "Besides...What should we do?" A contemplative line furrowed his brows. "That rocky monster won't let us go past the village so Death Mountain is off limits."

Midna could be mistaken, but she detected faint relief in his words, the imp's lips pulled back into a sneer. Poor, _poor_ hero; if he thought his questing came to a halt because of some measly obstacle, then she had another thing coming for him.

"You said this fused shadow...Or whatever," Link tousled his hair, tucking stray strands behind his windsock-esque hat, "is deep inside the mountains..." the male broke off and Midna tensed, she hated his nonstop probing. "By the way, I never cared to ask," he turned to see the Twilli examining her reflection on the silver tray, "why do you need the fused shadows? What purpose do they serve you?"

Instead of replying, the demon dove into his shadow when the door to the far end of the room creaked open. The children and Renado peeked over the threshold and Link waved them inside; the shaman entered alone and closed the door behind him, much to Talo and Beth's chagrin. Reaching for his sword, Link strapped the weapon on his back and the shaman, clad in a woolen robe embroidered with odd patterns, patiently studied him. Link resisted the urge to pull a face. He hated thick and sweaty materials.

Not to mention the robe was brown and ugly.

The shaman strode to a begrimed window and stared out, to the barren landscape of Kakariko Town. "Link," he began and the younger male squared his shoulders instinctively, "the Gorons are friendly and proud," his words hung in the dry air and Link dared not to interrupt, "they keep civil relations with humans." The hero rolled his eyes behind Renado's back, when _he_ climbed the metallic fence, the Goron at the top pushed him off with a biting warning. "And although you might disagree," Renado continued, "you must understand they are too proud to ask for help. Something happened to their village and they are afraid of letting the rest of the other races find out about their problem." A smothering silence hung in the room and dust swirled in a slant of sunlight pouring through the window. "You must return to Ordon Village and talk to the Mayor about this; I believe he can help with your predicament." The shaman finished, folding his hands behind his back and Link desperately groped in the confines of his despairing mind, he needed to add a comment or two to the conversation.

Because he was a grown up now.

"What about the children?" he blurted. "Their parents are worried; I should take them back with me."

Renado shook his head, dreadlocks shaking all over his shoulders. "No, they will be much safer here." The shaman glanced out of the window again. "Kakariko is at the foot of Death Mountain and it is dry and dusty, those monsters who kidnapped the children, will think twice before searching for them here." Link's eyebrow shot up disbelievingly, the children, safe here?

He raised his foot and suppressed a terrified screech as a giant cockroach skittered across the scruffy floorboards. "I guess you are right," the younger male eventually conceded "I'll be leaving for Ordona now, could you..." the words stuck in his throat, "could you say goodbye to the children for me?"

Link hoped the children would send him off with a teary farewell and beg him to stay. Quite the opposite happened.

The little ones surged out of the door, purpose and determination shining in their eyes. "Go get 'em Link!" Talo shouted and exuberantly waved his tree branch in the air whilst Colin fumbled with his skirt type thing, and here Link paused and _thanked all the Gods_ for the relatively normal clothing he wore back at Outset Island. The blonde boy muttered encouragements under his breath and smiled, hope gleaming through his droopy, denim blue irises. "Be careful!" Talo boomed again and Link waved, arm aching. "Don't worry about the rest of us, we'll keep watch for monsters and whack 'em senseless." The children chattered and nodded to each other, faces stern. "And when you come back, promise me you'll teach me how to wield a sword!" Talo gripped the front of Link's tunic and demanded. "Promise me." Unable to muster the courage to utter any words, the hero simply nodded and Talo slowly let go. Turning to the main street, Link looked backwards; he did not see a crowd of children standing nervously in front of Renado's house.

No.

He saw a bunch of capable adults.

* * *

Nearing Eldin's spring and leaving behind the earthy tones of Kakariko village, Link petrified on hearing an animalistic screech. A nut brown creature galloped through the passage leading to the dusty hamlet and strength drained from Link's limbs. _What was that?_ He hysterically backpedalled as the four legged abomination careered for him. The animal called pitifully, its cries reverberating off cliff faces. "What is that thing?" Link hoarsely hollered and clutched a tree. "Midna!" he cried, "Midna, what is that thing?" he repeated and the imp materialized, bored expression glued on her face.

"That's your precious horse, you moron," she snarled and broke into a grin which forced Link to let go of his tree and back away. "Hmm...I think her name is Epona, such a majestic creature don't you think?" She purred and the hero wanted to disagree, he saw nothing majestic about the way the 'horse' buckled, tossing its creamy shock of hair to the wind. And it looked like it foamed at the mouth. Grandma always said... "Enough about your Grandma," Midna interjected and Link regarded her suspiciously, could she read minds? "You have to break her." The imp lodged a fist underneath her pointy chin. "Vault on her back and get her under control." Midna ordered. "Wonderful," she grinned nastily, "now we can ride back to Ordon instead of walking all the way."

_What?_ Link's mind drew a blank. _Climb on the mad animal and gain control of it?_

He inhaled and silently declared Midna as officially insane.

"What's a horse?" Link enquired and hid behind the tree before the animal spotted him. "I've never seen one before, I don't think I can ride it," he lamely added as Midna glowered at him. "How do you expect me to jump on its back when its running around like that?" he screeched, pointing at the pitifully neighing Epona. "It's sick, we have to take it to the vet."

Midna's all-knowing eye roved over the creature. "It's not sick," she finally explained, her voice dropping tenderly, "the horse is worried about its human," she eyeballed Link, "she is worried about you who disappeared one day and failed to come back. Therefore, she went looking for you." The imp floated upwards and her tone hardened. "You can control your horse or leave it be while it dies of loneliness," she callously suggested. "Either way, it's your choice." Midna shrugged and floated to one side.

Guilt churned Link's stomach, so, Midna could speak animal now, he irascibly decided and approached the horse on shaky legs.

Epona stopped screaming at the slopes of Death Mountain and turned, spotting a figure clad in olive green. The individual smelled like Link. Letting out another sorrowful neigh, the horse barreled straight towards its master. Link exuded a dark mist of fear and practically fell on his backside when she approached him. Trotting to a stop, she paused next to her human and nuzzled him affectionately. Quivering, Link raised his hands to stroke her mane and the horse abruptly reared on its hind legs.

The human cowering on the floor was not Link.

Snorting impatiently, Epona cantered around the human, he looked like Link so why did her senses detected an unfamiliar air from him? Fear and terror seeped off him like a shroud. It settled on his shoulders, pushing him to the ground.

Knees knocking together, Link approached the horse with a fistful of dry grass. "There…there," he petted Epona, withdrawing his hand quickly from her steaming flank, "you are Epona, I'm Link," he babbled, eyes glassing over. "Uh...we are partners, so I'd appreciate it if you could give me a ride to Ordona Village."

"The animal does not understand you," Midna sagely commented, teeth bared in glee. "Actions and gestures are your words, be confident," she lectured, "Link is not a babbling mess, if I recall properly."

Stiffening, the hero scathed, "Excuse me for not being the all perfect Link." He slid his foot in the stirrup and smoothly mounted Epona as she stood patiently. Once firmly saddled, Link gathered the reins in his gloved hands and blinked confusedly. "Whoa, I didn't know I could climb a horse." Frustration gave way to surprise and excitement. "Hah," he victoriously simpered, "see, I did it." Bending down, he gently combed Epona's mane, a fond smile lacing his lips. "Come on," Link called and Midna hovered closer, "let's go back home."

The uneventful ride to Ordon ended when Link spied Mayor Bo standing at the village entrance. Pulling the reins roughly, Epona halted unexpectedly and threw Link over. Shrieking at the mayor to catch him, he somersaulted through the air and collided with the gawping man. The duo bit the dust in a tangle of arms and legs. Shooting up, Link apologized profusely and hauled the mayor to his feet. Bo scrutinized Link, broke into a booming laugh and clapped him heartily on his back, stumbling forward but catching himself before eating a mouthful of dirt; Link straightened and apologized again.

"I'm sorry." Icy blue eyes lowered to the ground, searching for nothing amongst patches of grass. "I couldn't find Ilia...they...we don't know where she is," he confessed and Bo's great shoulders sagged under the weight of profound sadness. Link thought of Aryll, gritted his teeth and related the Goron's predicament before tears sprung to his eyes. "Renado says you might be able to help me," he reported whilst Bo lead him to his house. "He says the Goron's are a conservative race and they don't allow others to meddle in their affairs."

Bo hunted around his house and Link openly gaped at the circular stage dominating the living space. Flower wreaths, no doubt made by his daughter, lined the wooden walls and a low chest bore several awards and accolades. Tearing his eyes away from a smoking stove, and the delicious aroma wafting from a bubbling pot, Link swallowed a disgusted screech when the mayor stood in front of him in all his naked glory. Against his will, the younger male's eyes tugged to the jiggling pouch of Bo's stomach and the flimsy cloth belt holding up a pair of off-white shorts with a moss green waist wrap.

Moss green.

Eww.

_Dear Zephos,_ Link shut his eyes against Bo's peach white skin and prayed, _please don't let me see anything I don't wanna..._

"Boy, now is not the time to be praying," Bo boomed and the force in his voice prompted Link to open his eyes and ogle a painting hanging to the mayor's left. "First of all, the Gorons are a conservative race, Renado is right." The mayor climbed the stage and paced, bare feet squelching on the surface. "But they allow certain people to meddle in their affairs." Bo smiled knowingly and beckoned Link onstage. "If you earn their respect and trust through a test of strength, you will not find a race more loyal than the Gorons." Link eagerly scrambled up the raised platform. "Now, let me teach you how to wrestle a Goron." Bo boomed and Link blanched. He briefly wondered if saying no thank you and going on his merry way would be allowed; from the way the mayor apprised him, his chances of walking away dwindled rapidly. "Stop gaping at me boy," Bo thumped his chest, "and take off that tunic of yours, sumo wrestling is done in a loincloth."

_Please no,_ Link weakly laughed and almost ripped off the tunic; he did not want to see the mayor in a loincloth. Simply imagining the scenario hurt his brain.

Standing bare chested in front of the mayor, Link shivered despite the toasty heat in the room. Bo rattled off a set of rules and the younger male wanted to curl away from the mayor's gaze. "...Seems like you're losing weight." Squeezing Link's upper arm, Bo, concern washing over his face, assessed the hero. "...Link, you should eat well," he stated, eyes firmly fixated on the lattice of scars spilling across Link's chest and abdomen. Sighing wearily, the mayor cracked a fatherly smile. "At least, you are in perfect shape, don't forget to take breaks now, Rusl complains when you work obsessively."

Link assumed his position on the opposite side of the stage and braced when the mayor lunged at him. The smack of colliding flesh rung in the room and Link toppled over the stage. Getting hit by Mayor Bo felt like being slapped by a muscular chuchu.

"On your feet," Bo boomed and Link jumped back on stage, "remember what I told you, focus your strength on your feet, ground yourself and use the enemy's weight against them. Once more." And again, Link toppled off the stage and crashed to the floor, breath knocked out of him. Amidst encouragements, he got up again and attempted to counter the mayor's monstrous strength. After failing for the tenth time, Link crumpled to the floor.

_I can't do this._

"My boy," Bo wiped the sweat pooling on his belly, "people are not always equipped to do the things they have to." Hearing this, Link's shoulders collapsed, making him smaller. "But sometimes, things can't be helped, if you are not up for the job ahead of you, you simply have to equip yourself to tackle the task." Bo disappeared into the kitchen and came back, much to the hero's delight, with a mug of steaming milk. "Here, I'd ask you to stay for lunch but I'm having mutton, you hate goat meat don't you?" The mayor asked and sat on the wooden bench

Pausing with the mug halfway to his mouth, Link nodded feebly. Who in their right mind hated mutton? _Some deranged workaholic, that's who._

"Mayor..." Link licked the milk moustache off his top lip and grasped the still warm mug tightly between his hands. "Let me try again, this time," he stared far away, "this time, I'm sure I'll make it."

Back on stage, the duo faced each other. Focusing on Bo, Link mirrored the man's stance, slightly hunched, arms out, knees bowed. When the mayor charged at him, the hero allowed himself to yield, eyes hardening, Bo shoved with renewed strength and surprise registered on his face when Link did not budge from his position. Grunting with effort, the boy slowly, agonizingly, pushed Bo off the stage.

Twice.

Panting, Link pumped his fist in the air and turned towards the mayor. "I did it!" he gasped, sweat plastered blonde hair on his head and beads snaked down his chest, dampening his waistband. Smiling at his childish glee, Bo vanished to an adjacent room and returned with a pair of metallic boots. "I actually pushed you off the stage," Link did not seem to be in a hurry to dress himself; he stood in front of the mirror and flexed his arms. "Do you think I'll have a chance against the Gorons?" he asked, icy blue eyes shining expectantly.

"Of course lad, you are strong, don't sell yourself short." For some reason, Bo wondered why he reassured the kid; Link _knew_ he was strong, he did not necessarily show off, but anyone could see confidence seeping through his self-assured gaze. "By the way, you'll never win a match against the Gorons." The mayor proclaimed and Link's elation depleted. "...No one can beat them boy, have you seen how they tower over us, they are made of rock, whilst we are flesh." He placed the boots in front of Link. "Wear them when you fight, they will multiply your weight, or else they'll swat you like a fly." Bo patted Link on his back. "I also wear them when I fight and I'm much heavier than you."

Suppressing a snigger, Link politely bowed and tossed the dead weight boots in his bag. Poor Epona, she'll have to carry him, Midna, and now a pair of iron boots.

"In any case, Link," the older man clasped meaty palms on Link's shoulders, "don't lose sight of yourself kid, do you hear?" The hero nodded dumbly, avoiding the man's eyes. "Ilia...my girl is important to me, but, you are important as well, you get that?" Bo's tight grip loosened when miniscule tears gathered at the edges of the boy's eyes.

He quickly let go and watched Link stomp out the door.

* * *

Beth and Colin skirted the mouth of Kakariko village, keeping a lookout for monsters as per Talo's instructions. Renado disappeared inside his house; he muttered something about writing a letter of correspondence to the Gorons, pleading them to help Link on his quest. Colin did not know what the quest entailed, but he understood its importance. Apparently, Hyrule depended on Link. The little boy mused about responsibility, he often watched Link single handedly wrangle goats on the ranch and he made it look so easy. How Link could stop a rampaging goat in its tracks by grasping it by its horns and with an easy smile playing on his lips, Colin only wondered. Like Talo, he desperately wanted Link to teach him sword skills but the latter kept on saying:

"You don't need to wield a sword." Colin found his soft, babyish hands nestled in Link's scarred and rough ones. "You don't need to wield a sword," Link repeated. "You are soft," insulted, Colin opened his mouth to protest, "and the world needs soft people like you."

The memory blurred at the edges and reality cruelly raked his sweet reminiscences aside and replaced them with fear.

A monster. Colin's legs trembled.

His lungs refused to take in air.

Following Talo's example, he turned to run.

But Beth...

She stood there, frozen, right in the path of a rampaging bullbo. The stench emanating from the monster parlayed her. She stumbled back, her legs wobbled, unable to hold her weight and time froze.

Colin thought of Link. Body automatically moving, he shoved Beth aside, his vision filled with blood stained, ivory horns. A scream to his left. Thank goodness Beth was alive.

Thank goodness...

A cacophony.

Normally, Link preferred to stay away from stinking monsters and their elongated, rusty horns. The scene unfolding before him, reminded him of a terrible play. Dangling limply from a humungous bulblin's dirty grasp, Colin remained inert. Unconscious. A growl exploded out of Link's throat and in a swift movement of his wrist, his sword appeared in his hand.

He charged after the galloping beast, squeezing Epona's flank to coax speed out of her. She flew over the arid soil of Kakariko, leaving dust clouds in her wake.

Aryll crouched on the swinging bridge and Link watched the giant, colorful bird hover over his baby sister. The sun shone, its harsh brilliance reflecting off the bird's silver tipped talons. Screaming, Link tore after Aryll, but she dangled helplessly from the monster's grasp and melted into a screaming speck in the sky.

And all Link could do, was observe helplessly.

Not this time, he vowed and gritted his teeth. A stubborn tear snaked down his cheek and evaporated in the wind. Epona drew level with the bullbo and Link pulled hard on the reins; she crashed to a stop and sent Link vaulting over. For a few terrifying moments, the hero flailed, his entire body grew impossibly numb as he hung in midair. The monster's horns rushed to his ribs and grabbed one of them with sweat slicked hands and held on. Heart beating a staccato in his chest, Link raised his trembling sword against King Bulblin's neck and snarled.

"Let Colin go, or I'll behead you right here."

No response from the beast.

The sword stopped quivering in Link's grasp.

_So be it._ He decided and plunged the cold metal in the monster's neck.

* * *

**A/N: **Wind Waker Link's facial expressions are hilarious. I like the angry/pouty one. I think I handled the dynamics between Link and Midna well; she's my favorite side character. Her and ghost Zelda from one of the DS games.

Crying is healthy people. We should all cry once in a while when things go downhill, its therapeutic.

Once again, read and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated and Coconut ice is delicious.

At FCL: I like your dissecting reviews, they provide food for thought. Hooded figure, that's me :P As for speaking into his palm, the Pirate's charm is in the palm, I didn't clarify it. My elder bro actually lives in another continent, but it doesn't stop my sister from calling him every week. I guess we all like the attention. Midna? Heh, she's a force to be reckoned with. Characters I write, but Midna writes herself. I'll take cheesecake thanks, I miss eating those.

Gratitude to Reaper4425 and pikachewy1 for liking the story, hope it is a pleasant read.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Cold blood. Warm water**

Fascinatedly by the pearls of crimson dotting a line on his palm, Link squeezed. Holding his incised palm, he tore out of the living room, sobbing at the unbearable stinging, and located his Grandmother, humming placidly in the kitchen.

"Grandma!" he screeched obnoxiously as a toddler Aryll whimpered. "It hurts." Bottom lip pushed against the top one, he held his bleeding palm and waited for Grandma to magic the pain away. "Do something," he demanded and Aryll wailed, fat tears leaking from her eyes. Quieting, Link meekly followed his grandmother and she swabbed the cut with a potion and whispered soothingly. "Why does it hurt so much?" He stubbornly wiped his tears, big brothers _must_ _not_ cry in front of their little sister.

Still humming, Grandma bandaged the cut and sighed. "I've told you not to play with knives dear child," she chided and Link guiltily flinched. "And cuts hurt because the body does not want to be cut," she added, eyes twinkling. "So don't hurt yourself and don't bring harm to others, okay my boy?"

_Do no harm unto others. _

Sword plunged till the hilt in the body of a monster stinking like rotten fruit; Link spared a moment to giggle hysterically. What would Grandma say if she saw him hanging on for dear life, on top of an olive skinned pig-lookalike with blood squirting in his eyes? Maybe this was a bad dream? Perhaps not. Blood dried on his lashes and he withdrew his sword with a wet _shick_.

Colin slipped from the monster's grasp and heart skipping a beat, he screeched for Midna to catch the boy. The imp materialized amidst grumbles but when King Bulblin finally flung Colin away, her hair morphed into an orange, ghostly hand and wrapped around the young boy. Sticking the sword in the rampaging bullbo's side, Link swung down, Hyrule field blurred beneath his suspended legs, a kaleidoscope of green and brown. Gulping a lungful of air, he jumped and the Twilli yelled at him for being reckless. Odd, did she _care?_ Another giggle bubbled from his lips when he landed, legs crumpling to reduce the impact. Times like these, Link worshipped his newfound body; it knew exactly what to do. Collapsing on his hands and knees, he seized a moment to calm his roaring heart and sprang to his feet.

When he kissed the crown of Colin's head, the boy dissolved, his face briefly replaced by Aryll's angelic one. Carrying the boy, Link trundled back to Kakariko village, thankful for the silence in his head.

If the blood spraying Link's tunic scared the rest of the children, they did not show it. Instead, they hugged his legs and cried, thanking him for saving Colin. Slightly reluctant to let the droopy eyed child go, Link hugged him tighter to his chest. The warmth induced courage. Colin's eyelids fluttered open and Link backed away.

The boy softly spoke, "...You know, I think I finally understand what dad meant by being strong like you Link." Denim blue eyes flickered towards Beth and she squeezed his hand comfortingly. "He wasn't speaking about your ability to lift things, or your swordsmanship." A weak smile bloomed across Colin's cracked lips and Link raised a finger to gently brush a fringe of damp hair away from the child's eyes. "He was talking about being brave."

Courage.

Reluctantly, Link handed the slumbering Colin to Renado. Kakariko village was not safe for the children; he dully concluded and scrubbed himself with a warm, wet cloth. The blood stains faded and he pulled his soiled tunic over his body. The children were not safe anywhere in Hyrule. Strapping the clean blade on his back, Link limped out of the shaman's house and stood on the crumbling threshold, eyes fixated to the distant mountain. He could go along with Midna's quest to save Hyrule from Twilight or whatever.

But.

He was no hero.

* * *

"Are you aware that your shield is made of _wood_?" Midna snidely questioned and Link nodded, he knew the difference between wood and metal, thank you very much. "Right," the imp said with exaggerated patience, "wood catches fire easily don't you think?" she asked and smiled her sly, irritating smile.

"I'm not that dumb, Midna." Link grouched.

She twirled, her movements hypnotic. "Please, prove it otherwise," she snarked and pointed to Death Mountain. "Do you think your wooden shield will be able to defend you from lava?" A disturbingly victorious smirk lined her demonic face when Link halted. "Exactly. Wake me up when you grow a few brain cells."

Pouting, Link stormed back to the village and paused when he found Talo searching the dusty road. The boy's eyes lit up and without warning, his hand shot out, grabbed Link by the forearm and he pulled the hero to a newly repaired shop front.

"Malo put up shop," he explained breathlessly and stared at the stone walls and windows powdered with dust. "He has all sorts of things; you can buy stuff from him." Against his will, Link found himself stumbling through the door, the top of which missed a screen of glass. "He won't give you discounts though," Talo cheerfully informed. Candles provided a mellow light, Malo's potato-esque head barely broke the surface of the counter and Link suspected the shopkeeper stood on a pile of boxes. Putting on his best smile because the midget scared him for reasons unknown, Link approached the wooden slab serving as a counter and his attention immediately pulled to an elaborate, metal shield displayed proudly behind the diminutive child.

Hyperventilating at the price of the Hylian shield, Link painstakingly dug out every last rupee from the cracks of his tiny wallet. When the last green rupee plopped on the counter, Malo stared at him, disgust apparent in his dead fish eyes. "You work," the child drawled, "so why can't you afford a measly shield?" Link grinned and shrugged helplessly.

_That's what I want to know._ He inwardly seethed.

"...Hmm, whatever, you can take it." The midget sniffed and handed the aegis to Link and immediately, the weight of metal strained his fingers. "Consider it a gift from Malo mart." Counting the rupees strewn all over the table, Malo pocketed them without a glance at the older male. "One day, I'll own every shop across Hyrule and I'll be rich." Link nodded dumbfoundedly, someone aimed high. "And then I'll sell everything at half price and perhaps you can afford my stuff." Malo arranged the inventory inside his humble store and skin prickling at the jibe, Link resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the midget, instead, he thanked Malo and silently sneered at the brown robe the child wore.

Perfect for a potato headed midget like you.

The door to Malo Mart banged shut and a dust cloud tumbled past. Fixing his cap, Link strapped the shield on his back, tensing at its weight. Peeling out of town, he scampered up the metal railing. The iron boots shackled his movements but when the hostile Gorons ploughed into Link, they could not push him off. Grabbing the curled Gorons, whose forms reminded Link of the rock buns Grandma sometimes baked, he tossed them over his shoulder, muscles screaming in pain. Shuffling up the slopes of the mountain, Link paused every few meters to toss a wayward Goron out of the way. Each of the hulking rock people hurtled down the slopes with terrifying speeds and the more he scaled the foreboding slopes of Death Mountain, the more he feared for his life.

As he neared a flat plain, he spied another Goron launch off a higher platform. Arms and legs drawn to the chest, the individual's spiny back jetted across the rocky surface of the mountain and it whizzed towards Link. Bracing himself, Link caught the rampaging Goron and slid backwards, he grunted at the sharp edges digging into his palms. Swallowing pain, he hefted the Goron and with a mighty bellow, tossed the creature over his shoulder. The Goron careered down the descending slope, veering wildly from side to side. Slipping off the iron boots, Link bundled them under his arm and barefooted, scuttled across the flat plain, collapsing in the shade of an obelisk. Disinterested in the history etched on the plinth, he massaged his aching feet and relieved his parched throat.

Appearing with a piece of crinkly parchment in her hands, Midna studied her surroundings. "We are almost there," she announced and Link gingerly eased his swollen feet inside the leather boots. "The Goron Village is situated a bit more to the top and it can only be accessed if they allow you passage." The imp brooded. "This is a problem."

Nodding sagely, Link tossed the water bottle and watched it roll with the winds and fall off the edge. The sound of breaking glass echoed tinnily off the mountain faces and he tried not to think about the noise his body would make if he tumbled off the edge. "Everything is a problem." He moodily peered at the arid environment through half lidded eyes. "Can't I climb up the ledges?" he asked. "I'm a good climber."

"Yes," Midna agreed, "I do seem to see a monkey resemblance in you." She turned away and muttered to herself whilst Link glared at her.

_What was her problem?_

Hissing in annoyance, he lazily followed the floating imp and the ledge gave way to more ground, eventually, the duo slunk along the cliff face and came across the famed and mysterious Goron Village. Link failed to see the fuss, the hamlet did not look much different from Kakariko. Hulking Gorons stood guard near caves hewn from rock whilst metal and stone catwalks joined the homes together, leaving a central heath for everyone to share. Noticing the shifty individuals, Link climbed across the dividing fence and inched over the platform, hopefully the guards searched for a bigger threat than a puny human. Eyes glued to the biggest and meanest looking Goron posted in the central common. Link bumped against a spiny surface and whipped around. His face met a chest of stone. Wildly, he searched for Midna but as usual, she disappeared without warning.

Mouth turning into sandpaper, Link fumbled with his trusty shield. Mired with shock, the Goron indolently raised a fist to squash the intruder and Link ducked as the massive fist whistled over his head. The whistling in his ears did not stop and the ground beneath his feet shuddered. Alarmed, both he and the Goron angled their heads to the sky, where Death Mountain belched smoke.

The volcano spat a glob of bright orange lava and with it, a monolith of stone rocketed out and somersaulted in the air. Arms growing slack, Link failed to register pain when the Hylian shield landed base first on his foot; instead, icy blue eyes reflected a burning hunk of magma veined rock, it crash-landed in the middle of the commons and chips of reddish stone broke off the monolith and ploughed everywhere.

Grabbing his fallen shield, Link smacked the Goron with all his might whilst the creature gaped. Panting from exertion, he backed away as the Goron curled into a ball. Brain whirring, he scrambled up the curled Goron and jumped, fingers hooking on a higher platform of metal.

_Don't look back,_ he chanted to himself. Holding the aegis in front of his chest, Link ran full tilt, smashing into surprised Gorons with a resigned grunt and bouncing backwards. He waited for the rock creatures to curl up before scrambling on their backs and jumping upwards. Mind a blur, Link paid scant attention to the rest of the village. Dust coated his mouth and settled in his hair. Jagged edges of stone punctured his palms and blood roared in his ears. Desperately scrambling on the back of yet another Goron, he barely stood when the individual beneath him rumbled. Swaying unsteadily, he screamed when the Goron bounced upright and sent him plunging to the sky.

"Grab the railing of the upper platform!" Midna urgently commanded and Link screamed at her.

Easier said than done.

Sweat slicking his fingertips, Link flailed in midair, trying to propel himself closer to the thin bar of metal. As he fell back towards the earth, he reached out, arms numb from pain. One hand slipped, the other managed to hold on the railing and he swung towards the side, his body whacking against the unforgiving slab of sandstone. Arm about to pop from its socket, the hero painstakingly pulled upwards and touched his face to find a split top lip. Gingerly, he ran his tongue over an intact row of front teeth.

Crouched on the platform, Link tended to his throbbing lip and fiercely wiped away tears. Midna pressed a potion soaked wad of bandages against his mouth and removed the dust crusting his cheeks with her clammy fingers. Grateful for her cooling touch, he tilted his head forward, the volcano's heat bloomed sweat stains on his tunic. "Your lip will go back to normal." Midna examined him. "You don't have broken bones and therefore you are good to go," she dictated and the small silver of gratitude he felt exploded into a violent anger. "Come on Link," the demon teased and grinned unnervingly, "show me what you are made of."

"I _hate_ you."

Link spat and grit his teeth. "I hate you. I hate you. I wish you could DIE!" A violent stomp on the earth followed his last, engaged exclamation and he glared at the imp. Shock flickered across Midna's face for a split second before her features rearranged into a smirk. Ashamed for losing control of his anger, Link swallowed the lump lodged in his throat and stared at his feet, vision blurring.

"...So you hate me?" the Twilli enquired and Link opened his mouth to reply but no sound escaped. "I don't blame you." She folded her arms behind her head and crossed her legs. "Lots of people hate me." Link flinched at her humorless laugh. "Well, strong feelings aside, you must do this, or have you forgotten about your ticket to the way home?" Imparting one last, sorrow filled glower at the demon; Link dragged his feet over alternate passages of steel and stone. His words screamed in his head and he closed his eyes, letting his feet guide him to wherever. "Turn," Midna piped and he opened his eyes, involuntarily recoiling at the two Gorons eyeballing him crossly.

They guarded an elaborate entrance and irises shifting rapidly from one Goron to the other, Link skulked towards the double doors. When he reached the entrance, the two sentries lunged in a blink of an eye, trussed him up and threw him at Gor Coron's withered feet.

Wriggling on the floor like worm, Link rasped, "I want a match." His eyes glittered defiantly whilst the rest of the Gorons stared at him disbelievingly. "Mayor Bo sent me here," he clarified and shut his eyes when a palm swung towards him. The much anticipated smack never exploded on his cheek but the bindings on his arms and legs fell away. Vigorously massaging his stinging muscles, Link nodded stiffly when Gor Coron invited him to the sumo-wrestling stage. Shuffling to one corner of the spacious cave, Link fumbled with his tunic and paused, flushing heavily when Midna bled into view. "What do you want?" he demanded and looked backwards; the Gorons formed a ring around the elder and talked to him in low, grave tones.

"Why are you undressing?" she asked. "If you are trying to impress the Gorons, don't bother, they will always have better bodies than you," she snidely remarked and Link jerked his head away. "Link..." her voice dipped, "be courteous to them, adhere to the rules and don't forget your iron boots. They are your saving grace." Saying this, she dissolved and Link reluctantly tugged the leaden footwear out of his bag.

He grudgingly thanked Midna, if it weren't for her, he would have flown offstage.

Clunking back to the platform, Link struggled to get up and a Goron boosted him to the raised podium. Dipping his head, Link focused on the elder and mirrored his stance.

Knees bent, arms out, feet grounded on the earth.

When Gor Coron smashed into him, Link wondered if this is what people meant by being buried alive. Gasping for air, he furiously fought back, pitting his strength against the shriveled old man…thing. Legs shuddering, he whimpered as the Goron pushed him to the edge of the platform. Sorely tempted to step down and throw in the flag, Link inhaled deeply and scrabbled on the stage; he knew failure would not be tolerated. An idea popped in his head, he could grab the elder by the forearm and toss him aside...

_No._

Midna warned.

"Win the match fairly, they will respect you and turn into an invaluable ally," she said. "If you cheat, they will grind you into dust."

Such encouragement!

Shutting his eyes, Link recalled his fist lesson with Orca, his grumpy swords master. Propelled by a mixture of hate and sheer will, he pushed Gor Coron backwards. A guttural, animalistic snarl of fury tore out of his throat as he finally toppled the humanoid boulder out of the ring.

On his back, the elder grinned kindly at him and Link smiled back.

He did not remember his Grandpa but Link imagined he would look akin to Gor Coron. Missing a few teeth, wispy, snow white beard and cottony hair. But most importantly, his wrinkled eyes shone with kindness and love.

Love which Link craved.

* * *

Bomb flowers grew plentiful inside the elder's cavern and sitting on a rough mat inlaid with precious jewels, Link listened to Gor Coron and nodded solemnly. Firelight flickered inside the cave and Link glimpsed stick figures painted on the muddy walls. The Gorons were a friendly race and if he stared hard enough, he could distinguish them individually. "Eat to your fill, youngster," Gor Coron boomed and Link reached for another two rock buns and stuffed a rock cake in his over flowing mouth. "You have grown up to be a handsome young man." The elder nodded to himself and Link swallowed the mass in his mouth and reached for a glass of water.

_Wait till you see me without a swollen lip and bruised cheek._ He beamed.

The mood in the cave sobered when a hulking Goron, the top of his head flat like a plateau, leaned and whispered into Gor Coron's ear, immediately, the grandfatherly expression melted and turned grave. "Ah yes...But we have no choice but to rely on him." Appetite suddenly diminishing, Link nervously nibbled on a rock bun and his teeth struck something hard, whilst the Gorons quibbled amongst themselves, he studied his bun and extracted a raw emerald chip. "Link..." The elder's voice seemed to echo from a chasm deep within the earth, "I'm afraid I have a request for you." Laying the half eaten bun back on the tray of gold, Link glumly faced the cotton haired Goron. "It is about Darbus." The rest of the individuals cast their gazes to the floor. "We would like you to rescue our corrupted patriarch," Gor Coron requested and to the hero's utter dismay, bent into a perfectly ninety degree bow.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**The conductor's baton**

Should've taken those swimming lessons, the hero contemplated as his hat floated upwards.

Bubbles of air escaped Link's mouth whilst the weight of his body pulled him to the bottom of the ocean. Moonlight did not pierce this depth and the surrounds folded into an inky blackness. Salt stung his eyes and Link clamped both hands on his nose and mouth, trying to preserve the last dregs of oxygen in his lungs. In the murky distance, he spied movement.

A shark?

Another sphere of air squeezed past his fingertips, it sailed upwards and broke above his head.

The storm predicted by the King of Red Lions finally broke a little past dusk. Fast asleep, Link shot to his feet when the first tidal wave swept over the hull and soaked him to the bone. Sputtering, he skidded across the deck and quickly salvaged necessities whilst his companion rocked violently, smashing against the rocky shore of Pawprint isle. The boat tilted and scrambling, Link managed to stow away his map and compass in a waterproof trunk before the craft turned sideways and he tipped into the sea's churning grip. Flailing, he bobbed in the waves, keeping his head above the water whilst the tides swept him further away from the King of Red Lions. The boat feverishly searched, wood creaking as it rotated this way and that. Waving his arms and shouting did absolutely nothing. Rain lashed the surface of the ocean, sending ripples clashing in all directions. Lightning forked against a sky draped in grey and the distant rumbling of thunder, drowned Link's pleas.

Fatigued and shivering, the water pulled him under.

Moonlight illuminated the first few feet, turning his watery grave into silver and cobalt. As he descended, the light faded and darkness clawed to him.

Darkness...

More spheres sailed up, pockets of precious air. The boy frantically reached them, he closed his palm around one and it burst into smaller bubbles. If only he could force one of them back into his mouth...

The current beneath the ocean moved unnaturally, Link turned, was that a tail?

Black spots danced in his vision. Pressure crushed his lungs.

"What are you reading?" Rusl asked and Link quickly shut the tome and pushed it away from him. The thick book slid across the polished table, far from prying eyes. "Sera informed me the new books have arrived." The goat herd nodded distractedly and casually got up and offered his chair to Rusl who sat down; Link sauntered to the book, snatched it up and slotted it back into the bookshelf. "You seem to take in interest in thick books these days." The man grinned good-naturedly but Link stiffened.

Scratching the back of his head and lips quirking into a lopsided smile, he backed away from his bookshelf and nodded. "I like reading; it pays to be well informed." He dropped his chin in cupped hands and eyed the older man. "What brings you here? Fado gave me a day off, should I help you with something?" Rusl let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

"You should venture out of the village sometimes," Rusl said kindly. "Go for run in the fields with Epona and Ilia." Link looked away, the pots and pans hanging inside the kitchen demanded his attention. "Really, you should relax sometimes boy." Rusl eased from the chair and his joints popped. "In any case, I _do_ have work for you; it requires you to deliver a gift to Hyrule Castle."

The catalyst. Link wondered; the trip to the castle was the activating factor.

No.

His birth?

No.

Much before that. Before the recording of history. It started with one person. One hero.

Light blonde hair spilled from beneath a funny looking cap and Link leaned to get a better look at his hero. Mother swept past him, giggling and pinching his nose. "You two have the same nose." She pointed to the platinum framed image. "I hope you grow up to be as handsome as him." She smiled sunshine and swept down the carpeted corridor, her voluminous dress swishing.

No air. Link breathed and his lungs screamed when water filled it.

No air.

"Link!" A faraway, desperate voice penetrated the fog settling on his mind. "Stay with me! Don't give up, kick to the surface." The disembodied voice commanded firmly and he kicked feebly, reaching for the break in waves. A large metallic claw sliced through the air and too tired to move, Link allowed the implement to clamp around him. Chest squeezed tight and fingertips blue, he hung limply as the claw retracted. Lifted out of the ocean, Link trailed water whilst the claw whirred, snapped back to the King of Red Lions and deposited him gently on deck.

Rain peppered his face, the sky growled angrily and the boat still rocked. Queasy, Link sat upright and vomited water off the side. He coughed and hacked whilst the figurehead encouraged him. "Yes good, cough all the water out and thump your chest." Bringing up a tiny, ice cold fist, Link pounded his sternum and ribcage and heaved another mouthful of water and the remains of a partly digested lunch. "Good, can you man the sail?" Tottering to his feet, Link grasped the collapsed cloth with stiffened fingers and hoisted it, ropes cut welts into his swollen palms. "Sit somewhere where the rain does not reach you," the boat urged and Link simply shrugged and ploughed into the middle, every surface of the little boat was slippery with water. "...Hold on tight, angle the sail to the wind and we'll be back to Windfall Island in no time at all."

Mutely nodding, Link reached for a flask of tea and sipped it. Cold.

His stomach ached.

The giant lighthouse of Windfall Island rotated, casting a circle of yellow over the turbulent sea. The King of Red Lions zoomed past the search light and skidded into a sheltered cove. When the boat bumped to a gentle stop, Link hopped out with a coil of thick rope and a large, rusted stake. Anchoring the craft, he collapsed on the wet sand. "My body's hot," he croaked and touched his forehead, heat seared his palms. "I think I'm coming down with a fever." Link sneezed and wrinkled his nose in disgust when a glob of snot cannoned from his nostrils and splattered the hem of his tunic. "Gross," he muttered, "my nose was never this runny."

"Go to the tavern, get some rest," the boat ordered, mouth clacking due to the tossing waves. Hesitating, Link wrapped his arms around his quivering body and stared at the boat, a string of slime hung from his nose and he refused to budge. "For Jabun's sake, get to a warm place," the King of Red Lions roared over the roaring rain, "and don't come back until you are fully healed!" Still, the boy hesitated but after a particularly nasty sneeze, Link hurried away, bent by the force of the howling tempest.

* * *

A blinding ray of sunshine forced the King of Red Lions to open his eyes and glare at the sun. A warm breeze wafted from the east and no clouds blanketed the horizon, the sky remained a perfect, clear blue.

Speaking of good weather...

"Link, I believe I told you to return once you are fully well," the figurehead admonished whilst the boy drowned a bottle of milk and pored over a book. He read slowly, pronouncing each letter then stringing them together to form words. "Child..."

"I am no child and my fever is completely gone," Link announced, a warning spark melting in his eyes. He pressed his forehead against the figurehead. "I doubt you can feel anything but my body temperature is back to normal." Nodding resignedly, the King of Red Lions suffered another knock to his mouth as Link poked his head in the dark space. "...I guess there is no one here," he murmured and held up a lantern. "The space is too small; a box wouldn't fit in there." Satisfied with his scrutiny, Link blew the lantern and gathered the books and discarded wrappers littering the cove, he placed the books on deck and stuffed the rubbish in an alternate chest.

The boat studied the boy. "You did not believe me the first time?" he asked and Link raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I told you I'm using projecting magic, you should learn to trust others a bit more."

Fiddling with the sail, the boy put the telescope to his eye and scanned the horizon, the conical, grey mountain outline of Dragon Roost island barely cropped in his vision.

Lowering the telescope, he droned, "Trust?" A sardonic smile curled his lips. "You will have to earn my trust." Link enigmatically stated and unfurled the sail. "The weather conditions are good today...I think." A furrow appeared in his brows and the boat feared for child, at this rate, he will have premature wrinkles on his forehead. "Yesterday, how did you know about the storm? Everything seemed so normal." Angling the sail, Link sat on the deck and unsheathed his sword when the boat failed to reply. An easterly gale nudged the craft over the calm sea and it sped towards the destination.

A while later, The King of Red Lions heard the scrape of sword over stone, he looked backwards to see the little hero holding a block of whetstone, the size of his leg, and expertly swiping his blade with it. The sound of steel on the sharpening stone sent a shiver up the craft's proverbial spine.

A flock of seagulls followed the boat and squawked a storm. Hearing their cries, Link paused in his sharpening and looked up, sunlight struck his retinas and he squinted when the birds veered left and peeled away from the boat. Triangular fins swarmed the waters and fastening one arm around the main mast, the hero rose unsteadily on his feet. A timely gust of wind propelled the King of Red Lions faster and Link tottered in the boat, spreading his legs to maintain balance.

A shadow fell over him.

Without looking, he jabbed his sword and sliced sideways, filleting a shark's abdomen. The creature snapped its jaws in midair and fell with a thud on the boat's deck, its tail trailing in the water. Hooking his foot under the corpse's head, Link heaved the predator back into the sea and watched as the triangular fins abruptly changed direction and charged to the blood diffusing in the ocean. Arm still around the mast, he craned his neck, a whirlpool of blood tinged froth churned and the sharks circled around it. Interest fading, the boy grabbed a book on sailing and sea charts and settled down to read.

Dragon Roost Island, home of the great dragon Valoo, consisted of rocky terrain, sparse grass and a cloud of volcanic ash funneling the volcano. On nearing, Link adjusted the sail and headed to a group of fish flying in and out of the water. The boat slowed to a crawl and he drew level with the fish, to his astonishment, instead of scattering like normal animals, the school drew closer and popped their square faces out of the water.

A large fish held what appeared to be an ink brush in its mouth.

Gaping, Link inclined closer to the curious fish patterned in light blue scales. Index finger outstretched, he tried to poke one of its unnaturally gleaming irises. At once, the fish spoke, "Hoy! Hold it right there, small fry!" The boy scrambled back, eyes widening in astonishment, also, he belatedly contemplated, _small fry?_ "I don't know where you got your mitts on that moldy Sea Chart you got there..." the fish creature continued whilst Link spared a moment to glower at the King of Red Lions who smiled blithely, "…but it looks to me like it's pretty much got nothing but seas drawn on it!" Slightly offended, he grabbed the map from a box and unfurled it, stabbing his finger on the handful of islands scattered on the parchment. "What's the matter, small fry? That's nothing compared to our maps. I'm just trying to be nice here! I'm telling, you that you've got a big problem." Running out of patience with the Fishman's loquacious rambling, Link turned and swiftly raised the sail. "Hey, don't be stupid." Bristling, Link speared the fish with a heated glare but the scaled creature simply brushed it off with a flap of its fins. "Don't give me that that! It makes you look like you oughta be in diapers..."

The rest of the fish's words drowned in the roar of blood in Link's ears.

Diapers...It said.

He stopped wearing diapers seventeen years ago. "We are leaving." Link pulled the horizontal boom and the boat rocked. "I don't have time to entertain sentient fish-people." Pitch irises fixated at the smoke belching from Dragon Roost Island, the boy refused to acknowledge the species in the water. The rest of the fish dissipated but the one with the ink brush in its mouth swam up to the King of Red Lions and whispered exaggeratedly.

"Is this the fry you're speaking about?" Both turned to study Link and the human coolly held their gaze. "Seems a bit uppity to me."

Grinning, the figurehead twisted to the brooding male. "Link, the Fishmen are well versed in the layout of the sea, I know they can be quite...Annoying-"

"Who you calling annoying?" the fish snapped and leapt out of the water, addressing Link, it commanded, "Just listen alright?" Reluctantly, he listened, a passive frown on his face. "I'm here to teach you what I know about this island, so open up your Sea Chart! And make it snappy."

"Don't order me around," Link growled and lunged, alas, the slippery creature landed on the deck and he halted to see the fish drawing on the open map. "You are a cartographer," Link muttered and lowered his arms. Falling silent, he carefully observed the Fishman meticulously inking details in the area near Dragon Roost Island. Watch towers and the location of other sea charts appeared. "...Thanks," Link dipped his head politely when the fish finished.

The Fishman dived into the sea and resurfaced, waving its fins; reluctantly, Link waved back. "Any time small fry!" the creature grinned and the polite smile on the boy's lips faded. "We normally hang around islands, if you need any one of us, drop some bait into the sea and we'll come right over." The boat moved. "And don't forget," the fish bellowed, his voice riding the moist current of wind. "We are all expert map makers so you won't have to worry about inaccuracy. So long, little man!"

Laughing weakly and wondering how to dissipate the ominous aura surrounding his passenger, the King of Red Lions glimpsed backwards to see the young sailor sharpening his sword once again. The grind of blade on stone rung clearly in the salt tinged air, a warning to other unfortunate creatures. Acquainted with Link's love of for information, the craft offered, "They are an ancient race." The boy's blonde head snapped up but his arms continued working mechanically. "Are you familiar with the Zora race?" The awful noise stopped and Link stowed his over sharpened sword away.

He paused before answering.

"Yes, I know about the Zora."

If it were not for the sail propelling him forward, the King of Red Lion's would have stopped cruising. A guarded expression masked Link's face and the cogs inside the boat's head turned. His passenger simply did not know about the Zora, the way he talked... "Have you seen them?" The figurehead probed. If Link denied seeing a Zora.

Well, world saving heroes were not _above_ lying after all.

Instead a quiet yes slipped past pursed lips.

"...You are from the past...Or maybe the distant future." The King of Red Lions did not really see where he went, a phantom dizziness rocked him. "The Zora are extinct in this current era," the boat explained and heard an intense intake of breath. "These Fishmen you see, they are the evolved, or should I say, regressed form of the Zora." A pause followed his words. "Unlike the Zora race, they cannot survive a day without water."

The sail lowered and the boat stilled, grabbing the oar, Link paddled to Dragon Roost Island's shore, arms pumping furiously, brain running ahead of him. An entire race; _extinct_. When the King of Red Lions bumped against the shore, he hopped out. "We will talk about this later. Meanwhile, we have to retrieve the Goddess Din's pearl, will you be fine sitting here whilst I go fetch it?"

All things considered, Link was a considerate boy.

The King of Red Lion's laughed and quieted down, perhaps this was the time to give him the baton.

"Yes, yes, I'll be fine, you worry too much." Link smiled and shrugged. "And here, this belongs to you." The boat handed Link a slim stick and the human appraised it, coal black irises trailing over it calculatedly. _So suspicious of everything_, the King of Red Lion's inwardly sighed. "The stick is called a WindWaker, it is a staff commanding the direction of the wind, I suspect it has other uses as well but it will only respond to the chosen one." At his words, Link's spine stiffened and he nodded solemnly, waving the WindWaker according to the boat's instructions. "There are symphonies scattered along the Great Sea," the boat bobbed in the waves, "these songs hold great mag... great power in them. If you conduct the WindWaker in tune with these songs, you will have the wind to your command."

Pausing in his air conducting, Link glanced at the stick and promptly shoved it in his backpack.

"Pieces of wood with the properties to change air currents _aside_," Link snidely commented, hoping the boat fully appreciated the biting sarcasm in his voice. "Tell me about the dragon, Valoo, what sort of creature is he?"

Considering his words carefully, the boat replied, "Valoo is a friend of mine." He waited for Link's business-like expression to soften but it did not. "He is a good creature and the Rito depend on him for their survival. The bird people usually have a rite of adulthood when they take their first flight and they cannot mature into full grown adults unless they have Valoo." Link nodded. "Just out of curiosity, why did you ask me? The islanders could provide better information."

Packing his belongings, Link tucked the telescope in his belt and jerked his head towards the mountain. "I will ask them; however, people can be biased in their information so I checked in with you." He surveyed the landmass. "And I was pondering whether I should kill the dragon or not. But since his is your friend and essential to the Rito race..." The human trailed off.

Mouth falling, the King of Red Lions waited for the boy to smile, indicating the joke. "Y-you can't kill Valoo!" The boat sputtered and the male raised an eyebrow. Or maybe, this little human _could_ slay a dragon. If the glowers he served scared sharks away, what more could he do? "...He is a minor deity Link, you will meet a few of them, we are friends. Have respect."

Pink flooded the boy's pale cheeks and stepped back from the boat. "I didn't mean it like that," he hastily clarified and ran scar laced fingers through his hair, face trained to his feet in shame. "I just...I heard rumors in Windfall Island about a dragon terrorizing the Rito Island and thought..." He broke off and sighed. "I suppose it was obtuse of me to simply assume," Link added lamely and trudged over the wooden jetty.

"Do not always rely on your brain," he heard the boat call, "learn to use and think with your heart." Normally the dictum induced a silent snort of disgust, how do people 'think' with their hearts? Instead, Link raised an arm to acknowledge the boat and studied the numerous sandstone slopes and boulders. The hint of sulphur permeated the air and he swept his eyes across the ground, memorizing the positions of bomb flowers and the distance between them and the nearest obstacle. No villagers patrolled the island and his gaze swept up the mountain. The sheer size of it, stole his breath.

Pushing his awe aside, he got to work, namely, getting access to the Rito Village.

The first boulder exploded, raining chunks of pale granite and slate over his head, when the bomb blew up, he waited for a sentry to investigate but no such luck. Picking the next flower, Link careered, the bomb heated in his hands and he swore, picking up the pace and desperately hurling the flashing explosive at the nearest mass of stone. The bomb ricocheted off the boulder's smooth apex and rolled to a stop at his feet; a blinking hazard.

Oh crap.

Clutching his cap, Link dove for safety but the blast propelled him against the side of a rock face. Peeling off, he glanced at his stinging arm and groaned when a trickle of blood seeped through the sleeve. Great, _blood again_. Ignoring the wound, the cleared the obstacle course of boulders and bombs and large blocks of manufactured stone. The incision on the inner side of his forearm throbbed horribly and he paused in his sidling to examine the wound. Oozing dark blood, the cut turned purple and Link blanched; this body's immunity appalled him. Keeping the fabric folded away from the wound, he climbed the next series of platforms.

The village entrance, a semi-circle cut into the mountain face and softened by a sprinkling of daisies and a cheerful post box, beckoned Link and eagerly, he stumbled inside the dark, cool cave. Sweat plastered his fringe to his forehead and the cut sent spasms of pain rocketing through his entire body.

"Link?" A friendly gasped. "Oh my goodness, you are hurt." A Rito emerged from the tunnel recesses and pain briefly dampening, Link ogled the creature. A plume of snow white hair tapered to a point atop the Rito's head and a golden beak assumed the position of a nose. "How did you get all the way here?" The man's eye fell on the wound and he drew himself up. "I can ask questions later, you need medical attention immediately!" He grabbed Link by the good forearm and dragged him inside. Warmth and voices spilled from the network of houses. "Link's here!" the Rito announced and immediately the hubbub in the village center stopped as each one of them collectively swiveled to gape at the human.

Raising his arm weakly, Link plastered a reassuring smile. "Hello...Everyone," he greeted placidly and the Rito let him go, a trace of suspicion in hawk brown eyes. So, this race knew him well. "...Aryll," he began and watched a ripple of sorrow radiate from the people before him. "I...Lost my memories," he meekly concluded and stood limply in the center.

A soft gasp echoed from his left.

And Link wondered if he could continue lying so blatantly to the female who obviously cared so much for him.

* * *

**A/N:** The habit of Link continuously opening the King of Red Lions' mouth to check inside was inspired by Link's _**4-Koma**_ Nautical Logbook, it's a light-hearted, funny little series and I wanted it to be longer. Read it for a some laughs.

Read and review people, constructive criticism is always appreciated.

What, no dissecting reviews this week? I am highly disappointed.

Gratitude to Hylian Harmony, Lemmiweeks and Krionik for liking the story. I hope it lives up to your standards.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Significance of Bonds**

Awkward.

Sitting in a playroom with his forelimb slathered with a sweet smelling salve, Link shuffled closer to the door, trying to catch snippets of the important conversation in the adjacent room. The two other occupants inside the gaudily decorated chamber eyed him warily. Eyes snapping to the pearl suspended in the young Rito's palms, Link caught a sour expression on Komali's face as the birdling turned away and muttered to himself.

The female Rito nervously strung her harp, crimson eyes veering to the only human sitting amongst them and she quickly turned when Link spotted her staring. Completely comfortable with the strained silence hanging in the room, Link opted to appreciate the tasteful Rito architecture. Their dwellings reminded him of the Goron caves, instead of raw jewels imbedded in the rock face, the Rito caves contained feather hangings and ornaments crafted from glittering scales and wooden branches.

"So...Um, Link," the female chick piped and Link swiveled, his eyes catching Komali's disgruntled mien. "You lost your memories..." she weakly trailed off and her fingers worried the golden harp on her lap. "I suppose, we should introduce ourselves again." The voices in the adjacent room swelled urgently and Link tuned to it, he caught a few words and hurried sentences. Trouble brewed in Dragon Roost Island, he concluded. "My name is Medli," the girl courteously offered and nodded to Komali, "and you are already acquainted with Komali." Annoyance flashed over the male chick's face and he turned away.

Unable to muster any other words, Medli fell silent.

Link studied the birdling with stooped shoulders. Komali's eyes darted from side to side and he clutched Din's Pearl tightly. Afraid of letting it go. "Medli…it's a beautiful name," Link complimented, hoping to soothe the awkward atmosphere stifling the room. At his comment, both Rito chicks regarded him suspiciously. "Did...I say anything wrong?" he asked and the wound on his forearm throbbed.

Sharing another look with Komali, Medli sighed softly, her small shoulders drooping. "No, it's just," she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "this is the first time you complimented me in any way." Ruby red irises settled on a spot slightly above Link's head. "You used to call me Fruit Medli, after your favorite dessert." Medli strummed the harp. "You really don't remember anything," she mumbled and smiled. "The old you would never wear such a weird tunic and funny shaped hat." Saying this she giggled and slightly offended, Link huffed under his breath.

Was there anything wrong with the tunic? The clothes he wore were traditionally donned by the _Hero_ of bygone ages.

Leave it to snot nosed kids to make fun of them.

The door groaned open to admit Quill the postman and several other important officials; Medli scrambled to her feet and fell in step behind them as they conversed with her in low tones. The Rito chieftain, resplendent in robes of deep garnet, smiled tightly at Komali and the child refused to acknowledge his father. Turning around, Link waited for the door to shut behind the guards before stalking closer to the sulking child and attempting to coax the pearl from Komali's secure hold. "Your father is worried about you," the boy started with an obvious statement and the chick rewarded him by glaring venomously. "Do you want to speak about it?" Link probed, noticing an aggravated twitch on Komali's upper eyelid.

"I don't recall you being this nosy," the Rito retorted and withdrew, blood red eyes glazing in mistrust. "Leave me alone, I know you want Din's Pearl but I'm not going to give it to you..." Komali paused, mentally backtracking through the conversation. "Actually, you were pretty nosy, you liked to poke into other people's business and make fun of them."

_Right_, Link resisted the urge to roll his eyes; _I forgot I'm supposed to be an obnoxious brat._

"People change," Link scratched his chin, he certainly did not miss having a stubble, "thinking about Aryll sitting somewhere all alone with no one to help her makes me mad," he confessed truthfully and Komali softened. "I'm sorry; I understand you must be grieving." The human got up. "I'll leave you alone..." Slowly, Link trekked towards the door.

Any moment now; the chick will reach out and stop him.

"My grandmother," Komali began, "passed on a few months ago." His tone wavered; reversing, Link sat next to him and squeezed his shoulders comfortingly. "Since then, Valoo's been acting all crazy." Silence and sniffling followed the last statement and Komali tapped the pearl. "This was grandmother's most precious possession," he hugged it tightly, "and she gave it to me just before she died. You are strong Link," the chick's golden beak quivered, "you went after your sister even though she was taken by the Helmarock King, but when grandmother died, I just sat and cried." He sniffed harder and Link pressed closer to him, offering comfort. "Medli too, when grandmother became too weak to continue her duties, Medli took over...And I'm just sitting here...Maybe if I turn into an adult...But no, Valoo doesn't hand out scales anymore, it's dangerous just to get near him…"

Burying his face on the surface of the pearl, Komali continued babbling miserably while Link listened, filing the information away for later use. Exhausting his grief and ability to speak, the chick clamped up, hunching over his treasure. His hair, a rich brown morphing into dove white, hung in ratty strands; a far cry from his father's well combed shock of hair.

When the quiet sobs from Komali finally stopped, Link got up. "I'll see what I can do about Valoo," he announced and hope sparked in the chick's previously deadened eyes. "Wait for me, I'll visit the Great Dragon myself and see what's wrong, if everything goes well, you'll be able to fly before the week is over. So, please place your trust in me." The human stated and grinned politely.

He considered the irony of his words.

A broken smile replaced Komali's distrustful countenance and he nodded. "You're getting cooler by the day," he said and rolled the pearl. "...I want to be like you," the chick confided. "You sound like a capable adult."

_You have no idea._ Link dipped his head and fled the playroom before Komali elicited more strange behavior from him.

When Link presented his idea to the Rito chieftain, he expected the bird to regally convey gratitude and hand over supplies, particularly a map of the mountain interior and a compass. Perhaps a bomb bag as well and instructions on how to calm the rampaging Valoo down, however...

"Absolutely not!" the chieftain bellowed, sounding dignified as well as furious. "You are but a child." The man's tone eased and Link clenched his hand into a fist. "I cannot put you in harm's way, this is our problem and we intend to resolve it on our own. You have your own problems with Aryll, do you not?" Weariness crept in the man's voice and responsibility settled on his premature wrinkles. "I'm sure your grandmother is very worried, you must visit her Link."

The hero in question blanked for a moment.

_He has a grandmother?_

This child has a grandmother?

He pictured an old woman worrying her limited time away for two grandchildren lost at sea.

A knot formed in his stomach.

"Therefore, I appreciate your help, but please, let Quill escort you home." The chieftain nodded to the postman. "After we finish dealing with Valoo, I will send my guards to help you rescue Aryll, do not do anything rash." Link appreciated the fatherly concern but they did not realize the greater evil at work. He doubted anyone would listen to a young boy's ramblings. The Rito chieftain, robes and sleeves billowing, swept away to another part of the village with a retinue of faithful guards. Gritting teeth, Link dashed after the group but a firm pair of arms plucked him off the floor and held him airborne.

How humiliating.

Stiffening in Quill's grasp, he briefly glared at the smiling Rito and pouted. "I have legs you know."

"Yes," Quill quipped without breaking stride, "and all its good for is running and getting yourself in sticky situations." He nodded to a few guards and exited the village proper. "Listen to the chief; he wants what is best for all of us."

Squirming violently, Link scooted away from Quill once the latter set him down. "Can't I at least explore? It's been ages since I went into the mountain caverns right?" He hoped so. "And it's not like I'll go in there and get lost, I can play with Medli." Quill hesitated. "Please? I promise I won't go far, just to see if the...Um, bomb flowers are healthy." The contemplative frown on Quill's face vanished and Link hastily assured, "No playing with the bomb flowers." He crossed his fingers childishly and held them up. "I promise." Dropping his face to the floor, he added, "And I told Komali I'll help with Valoo's problem, he said he trusts me." Crumbling, Quill eventually nodded and inwardly snorting, Link followed the Rito through a series of back tunnels sprawling inside the village.

The post man nodded casually to everyone and the entire community crept out of their rock hewn houses to greet the Rito or ogle at the human. Feathers strung with beads, swayed delicately atop the female birds' heads whilst the males opted for drab, skin tight tunics and elaborate hair styles. Spears inlaid with mother of pearl swung at waists and seashells created geometric patterns on doors.

They stopped at the entrance of an arid cave filled with volcanic ash and blustery heat. "Here we are," Quill announced and checked the perimeter. "Look, I'm breaking the rules allowing you to play inside there," the postman solemnly declared. "Don't take long, the caverns are not the same anymore, they are clogged with volcanic ash which can kill you. And the gases, stay clear of the lava you hear me?" Link nodded and shuffled forward. At the cave entrance, he whirled around, hastily bowed and slid inside before the Rito changed his mind.

A stream of hellish hot winds cracked the skin on his face.

Licking his lips, Link tasted blood and turned sideways to see Medli standing in a corner, a bottle of water between her dainty hands. He marched closer and she passed the bottle to him. "Your lips are bleeding;" she pointed, "you spent a lot of time out at sea...and all the salt dried your skin." Smiling and wincing when the corners of his lips stung, Link jerked his head to the remnants of a broken stone bridge; volcanic ash clogged his nostrils and lodged between his ridiculously long eyelashes. _No, not his eyelashes, the boy's._ "I can't fly properly, but if you could boost me over, I'd be able to reach the second level." Medli timidly stated and without further prompting, Link swept her in his arms.

And immediately strained his underdeveloped muscles.

"Link!" She flushed. "You don't have to carry me all the way there." Flustered, she became very still as he limped to an outcropping of rock. "Here is fine," Medli jumped out of his arms and smoothed her dress, "climb on the rock and..." Another blush bloomed on her pale cheeks. "Throw me over." He eyed her disbelievingly. "Don't worry, I won't hurt myself." Still wary, Link cannoned her. She vaulted over the stone bridge, landed with a painful thud on her feet, stumbled a bit and promptly keeled over. Closing his eyes when her beak smashed on unforgiving stone, Link ran a hand through his hair.

Oh crap.

Five agonizing seconds later, Medli clambered to her feet with a miraculously intact beak and smiled at him. "I'll be able to climb Dragon Roost from this spot," she called and waved. "...I know you are not supposed to be here," she said and Link shrugged nonchalantly, "but if you want to help, water the bomb flowers." Lingering a second longer, she bowed and left, her feet pattering in the tunnels.

The erratic tempest inside the cavern changed direction and volcanic ash coated Link's face. Wiping his mouth, he trudged to a drying spring, clogged with a giant boulder, and scooped greyish water into his bottle. Climbing a set of worn steps, he showered the ashy water in a planter filled with withered bomb flowers. One bottle of water barely wet the crackled leaves and Link pulled off his hat, wrapped it around the lower part of his face and ventured into the cavern once again.

Six bottles of water later, he observed one of the plants swell with a bomb flower, picking the bomb, he sauntered towards the boulder and lobbed it. A resounding bang blew a greater half of the rock apart and beneath it, the spring bubbled. A geyser shot through the remaining bits of boulder and boiling water filled the cavern. Steam danced, the spring gurgled. The surface of the new pond stilled and Link dipped his hand to test the temperature.

Hot.

Stripping, he bundled his belongings and balanced the lot on his head, skinny neck wobbling under the weight. Smoothly entering the spring, Link swam, pleasantly surprised. At least the water did not sear his skin. All the accumulated volcanic ash melted off and the aches he collected on his short journey, subsided. Tossing his pack to the other side of the crumbled passageway, Link dived under, washing his hair. The cavern trembled and he scrambled to the surface.

Dragging his pack behind him, he bounded on a platform of stone floating over a tangerine pool of lava, at the end; two statues held vases and behind him, grew a shrub of bomb flowers.

A pearl of water dripped from his hair and sank into the lava with an animalistic hiss. Cringing from the heat, Link used his hat as a breathing filter and picked a bomb; he gauged the distance to the statue and flung it.

The bomb blinked in midair, landed on the vase's rim and circled drunkenly. Link crossed his fingers. Hoping. _Praying_. The rapidly flashing bomb did another half turn and stopped. It detonated and the statue fell, creating a platform. Chest swelling, Link picked another flower and broke into a run, he heaved the bomb into the next, intricately carved statue holding an identical vase and the effigy crumbled. Chunks of pumice, stained dark green and ivory, floated in a sea of fire. Pausing to see the rock melt and dissolve into a puddle of liquid on the lava's surface, the hero jumped to the next shelf of stone.

He arrived at the entrance to the Dragon Roost Cavern and pulled the hat off his nose. A trio of stone idols stood guard before a triple height door carved from slate. Fascinated, the boy ran his hands over identical statues. Time eroded the stone but nimble fingers traced long forgotten features. Despite the searing heat, the statue beneath his hands remained relatively cool. Behind the inert guardians, the door held a wealth of information. Two dragons, underbelly bearing a lattice of scars, dueled, their fangs glimmering feebly in the cavern's glow. Grinning, Link pulled one of the effigies aside to get a closer look at the carving. Sandstone brick marked the entrance and he used his nail to clear moss and grime from the lower cracks.

"A nest of dragons," he muttered.

Once upon a time, Dragon Roost Cavern housed more than Valoo. This place was built by ancient Rito to be a resting place for dragons. _What happened to them?_ Link contemplated and searched for more history on the walls, however, nothing answered his question. Puffing out a breath he did not know he held, Link crouched and tumbled through the tiny gate set into the door.

* * *

Wooden benches and pottery.

Smirking cruelly, Link retrieved his shield and stalked towards a shelf groaning under the weight of brightly polished vases. Blue and white urns shattered, alabaster dust choked the air. Striding to the larger pottery jars, Link stopped. Water. Fresh water. He greedily scooped water in his bottle and quenched his parched throat. Satisfied, his coal irises examined every inch of the chamber. One lit torch flickered in an obscure corner and two others, bordering a raised ridge of stone, teased him from the opposite side. Grabbing a wooden stick, its end blackened with tar, he lit the torch and scurried across, the flame revealed seating areas, more of those accursed potteries (Link mentally resolved to _smash_ them later) and he swiftly lit the two dormant brackets.

Tossing the stick aside, he twisted when soft light illuminated the cavern and a low growl sounded to his left.

Sword out and prowling to a wall bench, Link paused when two monsters crawled from underneath the wooden seats, they squinted against the light and waved their clubs wildly. Feeling sorry for them, Link charged, burying his sword in one of the bokoblin's chest and spinning around, slashing the other's eyes. Blinded, the creature dropped its club and howled. Waiting for the monster to stop wailing, Link plunged the sword between the eyes and grimaced when an arc of blood sprayed his tunic.

He needed a longer, heavier sword.

Speaking of heavier swords, his mind invariably pulled to the Master Sword. Hopefully Princess Zelda will never uncover his treachery.

Rubbing at the phantom numbness creeping along his sword arm, Link recovered a key from a mossy chest and let the path guide him to an area cordoned by a barrier of half broken, wooden beams. Smashing the rotten partition aside, he clambered into a gap and surveyed the next area, registering a faint rumbling underneath his feet.

A geyser of lava sprang upwards and he frantically dove to the side. The edge of his left foot caught the stream and the felt boots melted. Exhaling and curling his toes, Link swallowed a scream, a film of involuntary tears sprang to his eyes and he wiped them to better examine his roasted pinky toe. The skin blistered and popped, patches of white flaked off the blackened skin. It hurt.

_It_ _burned_.

His limb screeched in pain.

Unsheathing his sword, Link pointed the tip at the fluid oozing pinky. He should amputate it before gangrene set in.

His arm shook.

This body was not his...What if he and the boy switched back and the child returned home with a crippled foot? What would his grandmother say? Exhaling, Link tore a strip of cloth from his sack and carefully bandaged his toe. Salvaging his burnt boot, Link pinned the remains together into a passable footwear and thrust it on swelling foot. He got up and tested his weight. Entire left leg throbbing, he hobbled and jumped.

Jumping was a pain.

The next tunnel contained keese. Snarling, Link tore through the fluttering menaces. The burning sting on his foot drove him crazy and he channeled his craze into tearing through monsters. A bridge, wooden slats strung by fraying rope, slung between a gigantic pool of lava. Warily, he examined the rope and tested the bridge, it held his weight. Inching over it one step at a time, Link spotted a patch of bomb flowers. Without thinking, he grabbed one, hobbled as fast as he could across another, sturdier bridge and hurled the bomb at a boulder sealing a door shut. Crouching, he smacked flying debris aside, pulled through the doorway and paused.

Eagerly limping towards the water jars, Link poured water on his burning feet and sighed in relief. The pain temporarily dimmed and started again as soon as he stopped soaking his toe. Unwrapping the bloodied bandages, Link tossed them in the nearby pool of lava and tore another strip, he washed it carefully and rummaged in his backpack for a bottle of spirits. Soaking the strip in alcohol, he shook the excess liquid off and wrapped the soaked bandages around his pinky and foot, wincing at the new burn shaking his entire body. Arm mindlessly rifling through the contents of his bag, Link found a potion and drowned it.

The ache and shivering in his body subsided.

Now, he licked his lips, how to traverse the pond of fire?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Archery for beginners**

Rescue a corrupted Patriarch, they said. We have helpers inside the mine, they said.

Stomping angrily on the rusted switch, Link listened to the echo of metal reverberating through the depot. Toes numbed inside the iron boots, he helplessly gazed at the mechanical plant and its numerous equipment and petulantly glared at the big key nestled within his filthy palms. Next to him, Midna floated, as usual, she held a map and compass in her devilish hands and configured routes through the torturous labyrinth of tunnels. Sweat became a permanent feature, but the salty moisture did little to condition Link's drying and cracked skin. If anything, the salt stung. It stung horribly. Resisting the urge to screech and throw a tantrum, (why didn't anything go _his_ way?) Link kicked a triangular pile of rusted gears and one rolled away, clattering down the catwalk. A heat haze shimmered in the distance and he narrowed his eyes in anticipation of water.

"It's a mirage," Midna stated without tearing her gaze from the map. "And the next time you run after phantom sources of water," she grinned, exposing one diabolical fang, "I will not rescue you from a twenty meter drop." Rolling the map and stashing it, she rotated on the spot, her single eye sliding slyly towards Link. "Do you know what this place is?" The imp questioned and pouting, the hero shook his head. "Of course, what do you even know?" Midna snarked.

Fanning himself, Link retorted, "I know how to swim and sail. Do you?" Huffing, he irritably pried his fringe off from his forehead and surveyed the depot. A giant magnet hung from an equally grotesque crane over a mismatch of metals. Rusted walking nets perched over uneven boulders. Beneath the square spaces of the nets, soil eroded off the boulders, making them smaller and less secure. He fearfully crouched low, hoping the catwalk will not give way under his weight. "And where are we anyway?" he asked sheepishly and tensed for a tongue lashing from his companion.

"We are lost," Midna sarcastically replied and Link's shoulders dropped. She floated further, drinking in the sights of dust and raw gemstones scattered amongst conveyer belts. The damp heat inside the cavern softened the soil into mud and a layer of this covered all the machinery, jamming gears and rendering conductive metals obsolete. "The Gorons eat gemstones," she informed.

"Yum," Link deadpanned and tugged his earring obsessively; he wondered if he could remove it. "I bet diamonds taste like," he scowled ponderously, "what do diamonds taste like?" he queried, eyes shining and piercing forgotten.

Clucking her tongue in annoyance, Midna glided towards Link. The human crouched on all fours, reaching for a raw diamond hidden between the cracks of two rock faces; she glanced backwards, where a row of bulblin archers posed, their bows taut. A series of wooden boards led to the upper area where they perched and she quickly consulted the map again. So the mid-guardian must be that way. Lip curling at the sight of Link desperately struggling to touch the soiled diamond, Midna drew level with him and flicked the uncut gemstone out of sight.

"Whatever it tastes like," she quipped as the human stared at her forlornly, "I'm sure it won't beat Grandma's cookies." At this, he proudly puffed his chest and agreed whole heartedly. "Take off your iron boots, and climb the wooden walkway next to you. There are a bunch of arches that need to be put down."

Paling, Link meekly followed her orders. He spent the next few, agonizingly long moments to slip on his regular boots, and slink up the passage. The shriveled boards creaked and the gigantic, metal nails holding them together, rattled unnecessarily. Knees bent, the hero shuffled up the side and Midna allowed herself a trickle of pride at his new and improving skills before the smile turned upside down and each of the bulblin archers turned one by one to stare at the obviously stupid human approaching them head one and brandishing a sword.

And he held his weapon awkwardly.

Poor guy.

The bulblin readied their arrows and Midna closed her eye, wading in hyperspace for a wad of bandages. Instead of getting peppered with holes, Link flipped out the gale boomerang and flung it. A mini tornado of blistering wind and withered leaves assaulted the targets, knocking them back and they toppled one by one, into a deep chasm below. Faint plops reached Link's ears along with a hungry hissing as the lava peeled the monsters' skin and gnawed on their bones. Grinning triumphantly, he threw the ivory weapon again and it clonked a distant archer. The olive skinned creature grunted something unspeakable and fell; bashing his head on the rocks and the resulting whirlwind disturbed the machinery. The giant magnet swung on its coiled rope, catwalks screeched, boards rattled and pieces of the netting, crumbled into copper dust.

Link jumped over several fissures containing magma and checked if Midna followed. She materialized next to him and poked his cheek with a clammy fist. Beaming at her, he purposefully marched to the next area, lit by the harsh glows of lava and the imp's eye dipped towards his dirt encrusted hands.

He clutched the gale boomerang like his life depended on it.

Scuttling to a rusted switch, Link jumped on it repeatedly, willing for the block of metal to depress and do something. Wondering if she possessed enough patience to deal with brain dead humans on a daily basis, Midna sweetly called to Link, "The iron boots, it is in your best interest to use them." His grimy face lit up like a megawatt bulb and he slipped the oppressive footwear and jumped, landing with a discordant clang.

The switch disengaged and a mechanical hum resonated within the dungeon. Startled, Link's roaming gaze paused at Midna. "Did I do anything wrong?" Shaking her head in a negative, she pointed to the north and he clonked off. "You know, I really hate these dungeons." Link grimaced as the floor morphed from stone to a turquoise magnetic ore, his iron boots landed on the strip of glowing rock and held fast. Peeling them off, he slogged; face contorting in effort. "They are so unnecessary," he grumbled and reached into his pocket, retrieving a damp biscuit and munching it. Crumbs littered his cheeks and Midna thrust a tissue at him. "I mean, what's with all the trials and HWOA!" Screeching, Link swung upside down; the butter cookie fell from his fingers and plopped into a shallow pool below. Tears gathered at the edges of his ice blue eyes.

_Cue the water works._

Sniffing loudly, Link wiped his nose on his tunic sleeve and gingerly detached from the magnetic ore. "I really hate these dungeons," he shrieked when a fire bubble, alarmed by the noise, flapped closer to investigate. "Shoo!" the hero flapped his hand wildly, "go home, floating skull, thing!" He lopped his boomerang and the fire wreathing the skull dissipated. The bone creature landed in the pool of water and Link shuddered.

"Why don't you make short work of them with your sword?" Midna examined her nails. "But considering your less than adequate skills, I see why you prefer the boomerang; it's perfect for a child like you." She dove into shadow as Link lowered into the water.

Muttering unceasingly under his breath, he waded till the floor gave way and like an anchor, sunk to the bottom of the pool. Precious bubbles of air flew past his lips and rose to the surface.

And Link stayed at the bottom of the pool, crouched low, hugging his knees to his chest.

Eyes heavy.

Chest crushed.

Brain light.

He could almost see Aryll.

"Get out!" Midna screamed fearfully in the confines of his mind. _Could she not come out?_ "Link! You can't do this; remember you have a sister waiting for you." She induced a splitting headache. "And your grandmother," her tone reached a new level of panic, but he knew, she merely used him. Midna was such a great actor. "What would grandma say if her only grandson decided to off himself in the middle of nowhere? Her voice wavered and the callous smile inching on his face, shrunk.

"Do you care about me?" he silently asked, come to think of it, he never tired telepathically communicating with Midna.

A brief pause.

"I won't lie to you," Midna finally confessed and he propped the iron boots off his feet. His vision swam with black spots. "I don't care for anyone," she added and Link blinked, funny, this was the first time water stung his eyes. He kicked off the bottom, his head broke the surface and he coughed water. Immediately, the Twilli phased into view and pulled his cheek. "What were you thinking?" she demanded and he smiled, this was the Midna he knew and appreciated, she never held back her words. "You try something like that one more time and I'll drown you myself!" Chuckling, he flopped to a platform and wrung excess water from his tunic. "Don't scare me," her eye dipped, "I've had enough scares for a lifetime."

A dark expression crossed her face. Not really anger, Link could tell, but more on the lines of...Sorrow? Pain?

What hurt her?

Who hurt her?

Feeling guilty for all the tantrums he threw, he reached inside his pocket for another soggy cookie and divided it in half. "Want some?" he asked and quickly looked away when the imp smiled teasingly at him. "If you don't want it, fine, I'll eat it on my own." A tiny, black arm with cyan veins snatched the waterlogged pastry off his hand and she chucked it into the water.

"Thank you for the biscuit." Midna dusted her hands and tossed her chin to a door above their heads. "The mid-boss is in there, prepare yourself."

Knees growing weak, Link dragged his feet to the dreaded Mid-boss.

A circlet of magnet ore glimmered above a cavern filled with lava. Eyes fixated to the monstrosity sleeping on the stage, Link failed to see the giant chains anchoring the circle. Mouth dry, he rummaged in his pockets and backpack, those water logged biscuits did surprisingly well to quench his thirst. Midna thrust a bottle of milk in his mouth and grateful, he chugged it and threw the bottle in the lava.

A loud hiss and tendril of smoke rose from the orange-red puddle.

And Dangoro cracked an eyelid open.

Instinctively delving into a half crouch to shield himself, he thought of Midna and straightened. She did not care for him, concern never gleamed in her stone cold eye, but...She needed him and Link did not want to disappoint her.

Dangoro, plates of iron hammered on rocky shoulders, back and arms, stirred. Whimpering when the circlet swayed over the chasm of lava, Link hyperventilated. A thick helmet jammed on the Goron's too small head and he whispered, "Aren't they supposed to help me? Why is he looking at me like I'm lunch?"

Suppressing a grin, she emerged from the shadow and pointed to the stretching, sentient boulder of doom. "Obviously they will not entrust their community troubles to an incompetent moron," she chided whilst stroking Link's cheek and he jerked back like her palms contained poison. "So I suggest you vault over there and deal with him. Watch his movements carefully," she advised. "When you see an opening, go for the kill."

He gulped.

_Kill_.

He hated getting blood on him.

Strapping on the iron boots while the Twilli sunk back into his umbrae, Link landed on the turquoise stage and it bounced beneath him. Swallowing nausea, he reached for his sword and shield, unbalanced; his sword flew out of his oily grasp and plopped into the lava.

_Oh no!_ Scrunching his face to control the threatening cascade of tears, Link eyed Dangoro, the Goron, hulking muscles complemented with strips of buffed iron, stared at him. The Mid-boss looked so capable of...Anything, he'd make a great hero...

"Should I...Get your sword for you?" Dangoro questioned in a surprisingly gentle voice and Link nodded mutely. "Hang on a second little man." The Goron dove into the lava whilst Link's eyes bugged, and saved the sword.

Amazingly, the blade did not melt in the fire.

Taking positions on the opposite ends of the magnetic disk, the two sized each other. Nauseous from fear, Link tried to keep his eyes still, but his attention zipped to the armor, to the size of the obstacle standing before him and most importantly, the impossibility of the task. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, the shuffled closer and dove to the side when Dangoro slapped a meaty palm on the stage, the reverberating echo throbbed in Link's ears. Careful not to get squashed, he gripped the sword tightly in a sweaty fist and inched backwards, right to the edge of the dais. The chains creaked and swung, heat baked his back and Link swallowed nervously.

Tired of swatting, Dangoro crouched into a ball and the hero tensed.

"Look out," Midna echoed a second too late as the coiled Goron smashed into Link and sent him toppling off stage. Heart beating a staccato in his chest, he hung limply, wincing when a viscid, orange-gold lava bubble popped. Huffing, he hoisted himself up and rolled on the stage, thankfully, the Goron paused in its attacking and once Link resumed a shaky fighting stance, Dangoro curled into a ball. Forcibly focusing, Link circled the stage cautiously; hopefully when the Goron started rolling, it will roll right off the stage and into the lava.

The hero grinned, now _that_ was a plan!

Dangoro charged and Link scampered out of the way. The circlet of rock swayed dangerously but he held fast with the iron boots. A spinning ball of rock brown, Dangoro bowled right to the edge of the arena and Link mentally cheered, unfortunately for him, the Goron changed direction in mid-roll (how was that even possible?) and veered straight for the gawking human. Closing his eyes, Link began praying. This was the end, he will never see Aryll or Grandma or even snot nosed Zill. Orca too,

Even though he sometimes resented his swords teacher.

"Grab hold of him!" Midna shrieked in his head. "Do it, just listen to me." Muttering under his breath about insane demons, Link braced with his arms out, fully expecting the massive boulder to ram in and break his toned arms.

The Goron collided with Link and he skidded backwards, arms intact. Per Midna's instructions, he lifted..._Lifted_ Dangoro and tossed him into the lava. Fueled by adrenaline and fear, the surroundings melted away as Link scurried back to the center of the stage, breathing heavily. The magma will do little damage to Dangoro; he noted and waited for another opportunity to toss the mid-boss again in the streams of liquid fire. The third time Link succeeded in throwing Dangoro off the stage, his head spun and his breath came in ragged gasps. Tottering dangerously, he clung on a chain when the Goron leapt from the roaring hot pool and landed on the stage.

Forcing down his partially regurgitated breakfast when the stage rocked beneath his feet, Link eyed the Goron pleadingly. _No more,_ he silently implored and hung on the chain, seething when the metal seared his fingers.

Dangoro grinned amiably and knees weak with relief, Link wilted to the floor, sniffing back happy tears.

He did it.

He did it without vomiting, or wetting himself.

The Goron placed a chest in front of him and Link eagerly sidled to the chest as it opened soundlessly. Nestled in folds of midnight velvet, he picked an ancient bow. The curved handle gleamed in marigold firelight and the drawstring sang when he twanged it. "This is the hero's bow," Dangoro explained and eyed him admiringly. "You showed great bravery in battle," he commended and a modest smile played on Link's lips. "With this, you can snipe far off enemies and switches..." Dangoro broke off and scratched his too tiny head. "I don't know what our ancestors were thinking when they built this place, who positions a switch all the way over there?" he asked exasperatedly and Link giggled, the giggle soon turned into full blown laughter and he guffawed maniacally.

Calming after Dangoro gave him a strange look; he reached for an arrow and nocked it, aiming for the crystal switch.

"Can you use a bow?" Midna sarcastically asked. "Make sure you don't accidentally shoot yourself in the eye." Her malicious giggle filled his mind and pouting angrily, Link brushed her comments aside and let the arrow fly. It hit the switch dead on before disintegrating. Eyebrows raised victoriously, Link grinned to himself. "Beginner's luck," she sang. "And if you have time to gloat, you have time to complete your mission," she said before remaining mercifully silent.

Right.

His so called, Hyrule saving mission. Sobering, he thanked Dangoro and offered him a cookie; the Goron politely declined and pressed his lips in disgust when the human shoved the grimy, soggy biscuit in his mouth. Cheeks puffed like a squirrel, Link climbed to a higher platform and sailed through the open door.

* * *

An expert marksman; Midna reluctantly agreed.

Despite his poor sword skills, Link redeemed himself with the bow and mowed hostile monsters. Alas, he aimed for the nonlethal areas. Toes, foot, tail, wings; and used at least five arrows when killing a fire keese.

Five arrows for getting rid of a bat on fire.

"Aim for the heart you stubborn brat!" The Twilli pulled the bow when Link let an arrow soar, it whistled past her right ear and buried in a fire slug. The monster curled with a hiss and the orange glow on its body faded into a charcoal black. Dead. "There," she huffed, "that's how you finish monsters, stop aiming for useless areas, you go for the kill."

"Is it necessary to kill them?" he queried. Pausing in her map studying, Midna searched his face, but it remained blank. "I mean, you are a monster too." Link held his breath whilst the Twilli glared furiously at him, but she made no move to smack the brains out of his skull. "And what makes _you_ different from them?" He jerked his chin at a dodongo leisurely scaling a ledge.

Eyes fixed on the map but not really observing the details, the imp responded, "Stop asking difficult questions and move." She drifted ahead and heard his footsteps dragging over earth. "For one thing, I'm not trying to kill you like they are." She pointed to a water tadpoli and Link mumbled darkly under his breath. "What was that human?" she questioned and the male paled, bringing his hands up in surrender. "I thought so, the next time I hear you _think_ I'm a century old hag..." she paused for dramatic effect whilst Link nocked a bow and shot a beamos statue with trembling arms. "I will permanently turn you into a wolf," Midna declared and his eyes grew wide in horror. "No more milk for you little guy!" she crowed and Link stamped his foot defiantly.

Denying a growing boy his milk was just a demonic thing to do.

The duo paused on a high platform and swallowing a glob of saliva, which adamantly refused to go down his throat, Link surveyed the area below. He saw enemies. Lots of bulblin archers and club wielding, green skinned monstrosities.

Envisioning blood, its coppery stench and the fetid vapor of corpses, Link sighed and his shoulders sagged. "We have to go down there," he defeatedly stated and Midna nodded. "...Isn't there any other way? Can't we avoid them?" The imp shook her oversized head and Link wondered how he would feel if her head one day snapped off. Happy perhaps, at least he won't have to put up with her sneering. Interjecting in his thoughts, Midna pointed to a door guarded by hoard of dark creatures and cited she sensed the corrupt patriarch beyond the doors. "Wonderful," Link droned and readied his bow. "Kill two birds with one stone," he sagely quoted Grandma… Actually, he never understood what she meant till this moment. "So..." Link's voice quivered slightly and he hemmed, "I have to defeat a hulking, enraged Goron." Turning to Midna, he said, "Please promise me something."

Eyebrow arched, the Twilli asked solemnly, "hmm…what?"

"You'll..." he broke off.

_Bury me under the ocean._

"Nothing...Nothing..." He pictured Grandma and Aryll. Forcing a smile, he added, "Promise me you'll give me a feast after I defeat the bad guy." Midna agreed absentmindedly. "Promise," he petulantly pressed, "or else you'll drag me off to another mission without my feast." Grumbling under his breath, Link picked off the enemies one by one, he whipped out his boomerang and tossed a windstorm in the clearing. Whilst the bulblin fumbled around and smacked into each other, the hero jumped, rolled to avoid injury to his legs and ran towards the door. On reaching it, he groped blindly and panic welled in his chest. "It's not opening! Midna, what do I do?" Happy to finally have the bumbling child back, she pointed to the ropes sealing the door shut.

"Have you tried using your sword?"

A vacant expression passed his face before he unsheathed his sword and swung at the ropes, cutting them messily. The door fell with an earthshaking thud and they raced across slabs of stone. This must be the innermost chamber, Midna mused, the vault where all the cut gems and precious metals are kept. Now the safe housed a mad patriarch.

They slowed at a gigantic, gold leafed door but as usual, Link failed to appreciate the finer details as he rummaged with the key and tried to insert the elaborate piece of metal into a similar, intricately carved lock. The big key slipped from his fingers and he lowered to his hands and knees, searching for it amongst brass vases shimmering with fire. Finally, he pushed lock and key together and Midna halted him.

"Link," she began, all traces of sarcasm and spite fled from her words, "your sword, do you know it is special?" The human raised the blue hilted sword to his face and frowned. "It is a sword of light, an ancient weapon passed from one hero to the other." Instead of dawning enlightenment, he appeared bored with the little history lesson. "Listen to me," the imp snapped her fingers, "you cannot let fear consume you and faint in this battle." A hint of alarm inched into his face. "I cannot touch your sword, the last time, I had no choice but if I wield the Master Sword again, I will wane. Light is poi..."

The rest of her words dissolved in the eerie thrum emanating from the vault. Link stared at Midna hoping to see her malicious smile, but no.

She told the truth.

If she touched his sword one more time...

She might die.

* * *

**A/N:** Wind Waker Link, turned 12 recently and is already tired of life. Someone give this child a cookie for his efforts. In fact, we all need a cookie for _our_ efforts. For those of you who are depressed, fight. Get rid of that feeling of nothing, its ugly. It sucks. Talk, do things that give you that moment of feeling alive.

Much thanks to Lilkupi and CapitalClassShip for liking the story. Hope it lives up to your expectations.

And again, please read and review, tell me what you think, tell me theories, stories, complaints. The box is open.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Light and Twilight**

Stars shone in Zelda's eyes as she angled her face to the moon. A thick, woolen robe rested on her shoulders and Midna floated in the shadows of the goddess statues, observing the princess. Creeping out from Din's umbra, the Twilli rested her head on Zelda's shoulder. The duo gazed at the distant, ominous shroud of Twilight as it grew closer and closer to the heart of Hyrule.

"So, the Triforce brat, how is he doing?" Midna suggestively poked Zelda in the ribs and without making eye contact; the princess fished a sketch from her robe and handed it to Midna. The imp whistled appreciatively at the individual with sandy hair and intense, purposeful eyes. "Good looks are a bonus I guess." She tossed the sketch and it fluttered to the stone tiled floor. A gust of wind filtered through the window and the candle flames flickered, momentarily drowning the throne room in darkness. "I assume you trust him with your life?" Midna asked, already anticipating Zelda's straightforward answer.

The princess remained quiet; her lazuline irises reflected a star spangled sky. "Bold of you to assume I trust him." Her authoritative voice pierced the silence blanketing the chamber and she turned to Midna, irises shrinking into covetous pinpricks. "He is a thief."

"Thief?"

Zelda nodded slowly, thoughts churning in her head. "Link stole the Master Sword from the sacred crypt, released the ancient Hero's restless spirit and cowardly fled Hyrule Castle." Her eyes hardened and she sighed. "However, we have no choice but to use him." She gripped the window trellis, pale fingers against black wrought iron. "Thus, we are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt..."

* * *

The quaking child before her could have never stolen the Master Sword.

_The other one however_; Midna remembered confidence bordering on arrogance. A stubborn, lethal sacred wolf who did not hesitate to plough through anything standing in its way.

A well-honed war beast.

A compressed blast of heat seared Link's face when the doors swung open. Stepping inside, his attention pulled to the monster chained within two pillars. Link fixated on Fyrus' grotesque face, half covered by a grey, swirl patterned eye mask. His eyes dipped to the mouth, and the monster bore chipped, off white slabs of teeth.

Twilight Fyrus roared and Link shut his eyes against the smell of sulphur and cinders pouring from the monster's mouth. It yanked its tree trunk-esque arms and the chains bolted to the adjacent pillars popped with an ear splitting screech of metal. Shrinking back, the hero frantically searched for a weak spot, his eyes roamed the head, where a sparkling jewel cleft the skull, and plunged to the legs; thank Jabun the thick chains near Fyrus' feet held. Warily circling the monster with his shield covering a good portion of his face, Link envisioned himself leaping up and striking the beast.

Alas, his limbs wobbled like jelly.

"Aim for the jewel on his head, use your bow and arrow," Midna instructed and arms quivering, he eagerly stowed his sword and reached for the bow. An arrow sailed from the taut drawstring and struck true and Fyrus sunk to its knees, the flames cloaking it vanished, leaving behind a jet black, heaving husk. "Don't stand there you idiot, get to work, pull the chains around its feet and tangle it, make sure it collapses on the ground," the Twilli yelled and Link mechanically marched to her orders. Sprinting to the panting creature, he fumbled on the iron boots and grabbed the chain, suppressing a hiss of pain when the hot metal burned his palm. Sucking in a deep breath, Link pulled.

It was like pulling a house.

Right when he thought his arms might pop out, Fyrus toppled, articulating an earth-quaking shriek. Tossing aside his heavy boots, Link, barefooted, jumped across smoking chains and stabbed the monster repeatedly in its face and forehead. His vision swam. Puffs of black smoke leached from the cuts and the ground rumbled. Lurching back, he crouched near the base of a pillar as Fyrus reared back up, Link paused when he saw an arm coming.

An arm the size of a tree trunk wreathed in flames.

The limb collided with his ribs, all the breath rushed out his chest as he rammed against the far wall. Dizzy, Link touched his forehead and red painted his fingertips.

He giggled.

Reaching for the bow, Link let another arrow fly, his fingers stung and without pulling the chains, he yelled a war cry and charged for the panting Fyrus, feet pounding the earth. "I'm going to kill you!" he screeched as Midna screamed at him to sidestep. The monster jerked and its skull whaled against Link's head. Blood flooded his nose. A capillary burst in his eye and droplet rolled down his cheek. Stumbling uncertainly, Link wiped his eye.

"I can't see out of my one eye," he calmly stated. Fyrus clubbed him, and he flew into the base of a pillar. A bone cracked and the monster roared victoriously. "I'm...Blind," Link whispered and curled in the broken remains of white slate. "I can't see!" he wailed louder this time.

"Stop being dramatic!" Midna snarled and wove into the shadows as he whimpered and cradled his head. Next to them, Fyrus shrieked wildly and swung its arms, rock and plaster rained from above. "Your eye will be fine," the imp dabbed a stinging concoction over his bleeding eye, "but if you take another blow to your head, I fear for your already unstable sanity." At this, Link laughed hysterically and Midna sighed, internally berating herself. "Try once more, remember to throw Fyrus on the _ground_ before you aim for its face..." she paused, "instead of aiming for its face, go for the throat, it will make your job easier."

"But we were supposed to save him!" Link whined. "Not kill him."

"It's no use saving him if you get killed in the process!" Midna sharply admonished. "Now go out there and get my fused shadow!"

The fighting between her incompetent human and Twilight Fyrus resumed, whilst the duo exchanged blows, Midna kept her eye peeled for intruders. Someone followed them through the Forest Temple and graciously rescued them after they passed out. _Friend, or foe?_ The imp irritably wondered as grunts of pain arced over her head. A chunk of crimson rock flew her way and she dodged instinctively. An animalistic, victorious bellow forced her back to reality and she feared for the worst.

Midna saw Link, the bottom of his pants in burned tatters, raise his sword high in the air, a vindictive spark flashed in his eyes.

He clobbered the crystal jutting from Fyrus' forehead, screaming akin to a deranged human. Silvers of crystal speared his cheeks and he hacked mindlessly. When the ruby jewel completely disintegrated, he sidled off the monster. Indifference crept at the edges of his ice blue eyes as he collapsed to the ground, legs and bare feet flecked with weeping sores and burns. His head dropped and Midna swept his bangs away from a blood splattered forehead.

Out cold.

The door to the vault rattled and she dove into his shadow, peering suspiciously at their mysterious savior.

Instead of a single individual, an entourage of Gorons poured inside the safe. Gor Coron, his cottony hair quivering, gasped on seeing Link; the elder quickly swept the adolescent in his arms and commanded the rest to return immediately to the village.

* * *

The Goron village gave him a bomb bag for his heroic efforts. Stoked to finally carry around bomb flowers without having them blasting in his face, Link brainstormed on ways he could use his bombs to set traps and get rid of enemies. They exploded safe distances away and he did not have to worry about getting icky body fluids on his tunic.

"If you can stop caressing your bomb bag," his companion drawled, "we have a realm to save." She reminded him unnecessarily.

Pouting, Link reluctantly handed his bomb bag back to her and watched fascinatedly as it disappeared into the monstrous space inside her head...Or hair, whatever. _The Cranky Hole_, he mused. A portal of black shimmered before him, inlaid with runes of gold. Gingerly, he touched the shroud and his fingers sunk into the gate.

Hopping a few paces, he rotated to Midna as she prepared to enter Twilight. "Why is Twilight so bad?" Link asked. "I don't understand," he kicked a pebble and his face lit up when a glowing phasmid took flight. "Wait, there a new bug to add to my collection." Without further prompting, he tore down the moss covered stone of Eldin's Bridge and expertly, plucked the insect between an index and forefinger. Crowing triumphantly, he stashed the bug in his backpack. "Where was I?" he asked and broke off, head tilted to the side and tugging his pierced earlobe, "oh yeah, so why is Twilight all bad? Is the air poisonous for us to breathe?"

Rubbing her head and coaxing patience, the Twilli replied, "Apart from the fact that you turn into a wolf and other, normal people morph into spirits, its fine." She grinned diabolically. "Seriously, Twilight is rather beautiful don't you think?" Link shook his head and thereafter, hastily nodded. "I thought so," Midna poked his cheek, "I'm happy we agree on some things." The conversation lulled as Link wolfed an early supper, the sun sunk, painting the sky into streaks of cyan and magenta. "...The Twilight realm," Midna related earnestly, "is a realm different from this world, it is a place where a portion of Hylian nobles were banished because they practiced forbidden magic...Over the years, we adapted and now have these unsightly forms..." Midna trailed off and stared at her hands.

"Yeah," Link agreed through a mouthful of roast cuccoo and bread, "you look pretty hedio...Ugly," he finished and tipped a bottle of milk down his throat whilst Midna glared balefully at his lack of tact. "But magic isn't all that bad." The human burped. "I mean, you can do a lot of stuff with it, Grandma said magic is essential to life, without magic, sailors would not be able to sail over the Great Sea."

"In case you have yet to notice," she rapped her knuckles against his head, "this place and your Great Sea are vastly different. Magic is scarce and people do not believe in it. Even if they do, the royal family keeps strict tabs to ensure the public is kept in the dark. But it's not my problem." The imp shrugged. "Humans are idiots after all." At this, Link cast a surreptitious glance at her and finished his milk. Tossing the empty bottle, he stretched and stalked towards the black wall.

Turning into a wolf hurt.

It hurt worse than the time he fell out of a tree and sprained his wrist.

And it hurt worse than almost drowning.

Midna pulled him into the twilight covered, Lanayru province, belatedly, he realized the imp failed to answer his question yet again. Each time he tried to learn something; she enigmatically twirled circles around him. Pain hammering in the marrow of his bones, Link wearily trotted; a little pouch lay on the ground and curious, he sniffed it. Wrinkling his nose at the overbearing smell of flowers and an undercurrent of citrus, he inhaled the air and found a scent trail leading him across a stretch of grassy land.

Howling, he ripped across the field, wincing each time his raw pads struck the earth. Midna rode on his back, she leaned easily and he buckled, trying to shake her off. It became a game, each time he transformed into a wolf, she crashed on his back akin to a meteorite and he tried to bowl her off. When the imp grew tired of his efforts, she stuck a finger through the accursed earring latched on to his ear and pulled it.

And Link swore the resulting pain tore his soul out of his body.

Paws carried him over a wooden bridge, through a crack in a double height, stone door and over streets paved with cobblestones. Nose to the ground, Link picked a variety of other scents. The ammonical smell of urine, particularly strong on corner walls and in dingy streets; cats, he growled at some feline stalking in his path and of course dogs. Growing furious, Link dashed after the smell and Midna yanked on his ears and hissed one of her patented threats. Which included something along the lines of denying him an egg sandwich. Moss and short blades of grass tickled his nose. He passed a street filled with the heavenly aroma of freshly baked bread and frying meat and spirit-like humans crowded the stall. Raising his head, he caught the faint whiff of roses and the smell of damp earth. _It might rain._ Nose back on the ground, he traced the earlier scent to a maze of backstreets, where the tart sting of alcohol and tobacco stung his nose, sneaking into a bar, he stopped short when the scent ended and Midna sprung off his back.

"So that is Ilia," the Twilli commented to herself and Link wondered if she was special. Ilia looked after another...fish child look-a-like thing panting on a sick bed and the sacred wolf inched away. "How do you feel, seeing your girlfriend after so long?" Midna leered and cocking his head to the side, Link barked. He did not mind Ilia as a girl-friend, she was pretty, with a pair of wide set, glass green eyes roving concernedly over the fish-child thing.

Losing interest, the wolf left the imp to her devices and prowled the tavern, muzzle wrinkling at the odor of smoke swathing the bar. Giant mugs, filled with yellow, white foamed liquid, slammed on wooden table tops and he grimaced when the reeking fluid spilled and dripped to the floor. An atmosphere of dread choked the air but inside the cozy establishment with music spilling from an old fashioned gramophone, the dulled patrons smoked pipes and eased tired bodies on three legged stools. Comfort passed from lips to lips. Slinking in darkened corners, Link padded into another sepia lighted room and stopped near a group of guards. Heads and helmets together, they pored over a map pinned to the table.

Snatches of their conversation floated to Link's ears.

"Water shortages..." one whispered, clearly the head honcho by the way he pruned a plume of golden feathers tacked on his helmet. "At this rate, Castle Town will run out of water soon, we cannot let this happen!" he roared pompously and slammed a fist on the table.

Another scrawny guard, nervously eyeing the rattling mugs on the table, traced a finger on the map and Link leaned with his paws on the edge of the table, following the finger as it drew west and stopped at a wide body of water. "Must be a disturbance in Lake Hylia," the man muttered and sighed as the rest of his colleagues delved into a brawl over responsibilities.

Exiting the room, Link sought for his companion, he did not know why this town suffered from water shortages, but it seemed important. After all, what sort of hero would let people die from water starvation?

The wolf abruptly stopped pacing.

He briefly wondered if Aryll's captives gave her enough food and water to drink.

_Don't think about that!_ Link snarled and dragged unresponsive legs. Midna promised, after he saved Hyrule, the goddesses would return him back home, then, he could think about saving Aryll.

The imp floated in the room with Ilia and the human fish. Softly growling at her, Link tried to explain about the water shortage but Midna either did not understand his melodious howls, or she pretended to not understand. Suspicious of the latter, Link ignored her and navigated out of the bar, with a nose this accurate, who needed maps?

He fled to the streets and retched when the stench of rot, floored him.

Merely a meter away, hidden by the dense foliage growing around the tavern, his phenomenal eyesight picked up a rat's corpse, swarming with a bunch of flies. Slightly sick, he turned southward and Midna joined him.

"Where to, Doggy?" She playfully tugged his ears and he growled in displeasure. "Fine, Link, where should we go? Finally getting hang of playing the hero are you?" Pausing in mid-stride, his head whipped backwards and he lunged for Midna, fully expecting her to float airily away from his reach.

However; his jaws sank in her miniscule arm and her devilish grin melted.

Steam blasting out of his nostrils, Link crunched harder and her ulna snapped underneath his jaws. Pain flickered across her face but the expressions shifted into nonchalance. Letting go, the sacred wolf licked his lips free of blood, _Midna's blood_, he reminded himself, hating the coppery whiff even more, and without another bark or whimper, he stormed across Hyrule field under the light of a crescent moon dancing on blades of windswept grass.

* * *

Wondering where the bridge makers of Hyrule found so much stone, Link alighted at the Great Bridge of Hylia and marveled at its workmanship. Blocks of white and pale gray, conspired this fantastic walkway spanning several meters above a lake. _Very impressive._ Arches spanned between pillars, two of which snapped off and Link gingerly stepped on its cool and mossy surface. An oily reek burned his nostrils. Sniffing, he peered at a black film over the middle of the bridge. Quickly glancing at a deathly silent Midna, he crept across and a shadow bulblin archer shot a flaming arrow.

Sniggering at its poor aim, really, _why on Hyrule would it shoot the floor?_ Link stopped. The burning reek grew oppressively rancid and the middle of the bridge ignited. Fire raced along both sides and a wall of flames cut off his exit. Frantic, he searched both ways for an opening but found none.

The bulblin archer fled the scene.

A crate lay nearby but the stupid wolf merely whined and ran back and forth. A fruitless effort. Desperately, Link tried scaling the side of the bridge but the wall towered well above him. Forearm throbbing painfully, Midna examined the teeth marks puncturing her skin.

She still could not believe Link _attacked_ her.

A child, a whimpering, selfish brat who needed help drying off after a bath, actually buried his teeth in her forearm. She gleaned undiluted hatred and anxiety welling within incensed eyes. _Hmph_, the Triforce of Courage must be influencing him in wrong ways.

Pointing stiffly to the crate, she waited for divine inspiration to hit the wolf but he merely whined from the searing heat and pawed the crate. "Push it to the wall," _you imbecile,_ she added silently. "Climb on it and jump into the water. I'm keeping myself dry." Curtly issuing those instructions, Midna disappeared into his shadow.

Maneuvering the crate to the bridge wall whilst hell roared next to him, Link clambered the flimsy crate and the top planks snapped under his weight. Claws scraping smooth stone, he hauled over the side and dropped just as an inferno consumed the crate. Fire clawed for the sky and he fell, stomach tumbling over and over as wind rushed through his whiskers, chilling him to the bone. Lake Hylia welcomed him and he speared into the water's surface.

Warmth, then cold, enveloped him and Link paddled for air. Inhaling the heavenly smell of water, he pulled to a little island situated in the middle of the gigantic lake. If he closed his eyes against the border stretches of land, Link could imagine himself next to the seashore, with the salty spray dotting his lips and seagull screeches drumming against his ears. Alas, no seagull sounded as horrible as the bird screams reverberating through the air. _Was it sick?_ Shaking his coat, Link licked his fur down and nestled for the night.

Sleep forced his eyelids to droop and when they stopped snapping upwards at every minute sound, Midna crept from his shadow, a lantern clasped in her hair.

She eyed the wolf, particularly his cocked ears and the string of drool escaping closed jaws. Scowling, she floated away from her slumbering companion and set the lantern on a flat outcrop of rock. Meditating in front of a sheet of paper, she put her pen down and confessions spilled into a lengthy letter.

_Dear Zelda,_ she wrote. _Link is not crazy, pardon me for thinking so, he is perfectly fine and he is a perfectly normal eleven_ (or was it twelve?) _year old brat with an unhealthy attachment to food, money and criticizing people's clothing choices._ The imp considered her words, yes, Zelda will be forgiven if she though Midna went crazy. _This is a serious problem we have here; our hero has been swapped with a child bearing the same name. Link talks about the Great Sea, or Ocean, sharks_ (what the hell were those?) _and an age of Pirates and I doubt he's referring to Zora thieves._ Pausing with the pen digging into her cheek, the imp resumed her letter: _He is temperamental and has little regard for his life._ She remembered the episode in Goron Mines,_ this disregard is increasing daily, he tried to drown himself. The only thing keeping him anchored is a promise of going home, but it seems he does not hold fast to that belief any longer._

Lantern light flickered over a page bearing neat handwriting.

Clouds obscured the moon.

_Zelda,_ Midna wrote and glanced at the quietly snoring Link, _what should I do?_

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Defying laws of reality**

Now, how to traverse the pond of fire?

No platforms or stone bridges spanned the gigantic puddle. And jumping was out of the question. Pacing at the edge, with heat baking his skin, Link frowned and searched for a sheet of something sturdy enough to withstand the lava's heat and hold his mass without breaking.

But the bare cave offered nothing.

Stomping back to the titan water jars, Link examined them thoughtfully. In prehistoric ages, land was created by ocean floor volcanoes; he recalled what he read in books, when lava met water, the fluid rock solidified into new land. Grabbing the water jar, he pushed it to the edge and tipped it, immediately a great hissing filled his ears and the lava solidified into a block of rock.

The rate at which the platform formed, defied the laws of physics. Holding another tankard of water, Link stepped on the steaming rock. _He never cared for physics anyway._

A ladder led him to an elevated chamber filled with what appeared to be cages. Gashes decorated the walls and again, a crisscross of broken wooden beams roped the pens. Breaking them with a slash of his sword, Link studied the claw marks. Dragons, he pondered. Snatching a key from a chest he uncovered, he broke into the last cage and paused when a group of red chuchu's squealed and spilled from the corner of the ceiling. Licking his lips, Link drowned his bottle of water and drove his sword in the jelly-like mass. Rotating his weapon, he liquefied the jelly, scooped it up in his bottle and drank.

Strawberries.

Bottling a quantity of the delicious chu jelly, he wiped his sword, twirled it and thrust it back in its holster. Mood considerably brightened and the throb in his foot diminishing, he unlocked a stone door. Casting a final glance at the dragon's den, Link pushed the door aside and shaded his eyes from the brilliance of the sun. He emerged at a rocky outcropping and peered at the monolithic needles of rock skewering out of the ocean and tapering to a point. Dragon Roosts. Wooden platforms snaked across the southern side of the mountain, and these led him to the summit. At designated intervals, perhaps two meters or so, Link could not tell, the platforms jutted out of the mountain face and leaned precariously over the ocean. Disregarding caution, he limped towards one of the platforms and read a sign attached to it.

The creaking board informed him that these catwalks were used by postmen, the wind and height created an ideal launching platform.

Well, Rito had wings.

Carefully inching backwards, he turned to the opposite side where a rope bridge, guarded by a bokoblin, swayed over a gorge. The height dizzied him. Dragging his healing foot along, Link crossed the bridge, and decapitated the monster while a plume of fire gurgled from a vent plastered on the mountain side. Frisking the corpse, he paused as a thought struck him.

Why is a bokoblin guarding this place?

And what happened to Medli?

Pocketing the handful of green rupees he found in the monster's moldy wallet, he broke into a run. Another plume of fire gushed out and nearly rent him bald. Clambering up the ladder and suffering blistered palms, Link wondered how the wood survived repeated scorching from the volcanic fire. He sat on a small rocky square to catch his breath and when his roaring heartbeat returned to normal, he sidled past another vent, legs shuddering involuntarily when he spied the sheer drop to the ground; and hopped down a series of platforms, tossing a bomb to a boulder blocking his path. Chunks of rock flew on all sides and he entered a dim room.

Six large blocks stacked against the wall and Link crossed to them, crouched and ran his fingers over the stones. Well preserved carvings blossomed beneath his fingers and he pulled them experimentally, creating an open space in the middle; dusting his hands, he crawled through the small doorway and paused.

No way would his adult body fit through such a tight crawl space.

Brushing off implications, he tumbled into a dingy chamber reeking of ancient air. Unlike the rest of the well maintained cavern, this room contained cobwebs, shattered torches and he spied a rat's plump tail as it disappeared into a crack in the wall. Trudging over a floor soiled with dirt and droppings, Link rummaged in his bag and tossed a moldy sandwich near the crack, if he could not eat it, some other creature would. Turning away, he examined a block sealing the exit shut and whirled around on hearing scratching noises.

The previous rat held a bottle of potion to him.

A rat, offering him a potion.

Numbly taking the bright red bottle, Link thanked the rat and switched his attention back to the stone block, however a small tug on his tunic forced him to look at the same overfed rat as it held out a pear.

"Thanks," Link reached for the pear and questioned why he spoke to a rat. At this, the animal brightened and procured a handful of bait, a bottle of blue potion and more pears. The rodent forced all of these into his arms and he shook his head, wondering if he could strangle another pest after this. "I murdered your cousins," Link lamely finished as the rat scurried away. "And you shouldn't approach strangers," he called after it as it bolted in its hole. Tossing the items in his sack, Link bit into a pear and grimaced.

Sour.

The chamber spat him into another outdoor ledge where a kargaroc nested. Sword whistling out of its sheath, Link hacked off a wing, feathers fluttered in his face, he seized the monstrous bird and smashed its beak before finally sawing its head off. Throwing the corpse over, he raided the nest. Straws poked his shins and he discovered a clutch of eggs. Raising his sword to smash them, Link paused, his mind pulled to the boat's advice on thinking with the heart.

Lowering his sword, he searched through downy feathers and scraps of dried fish and found a silver key. Pocketing the key, he grabbed hold of the eggs and threw them, watching them explode into lemon yellow starbursts on the slopes of Dragon Roost Mountain.

Monsters, Link justified his conscious, but his palms grew clammy and his knees weak.

_Monsters_. He admonished himself.

A stairway of tan stone led to the summit. Craning his neck to see how far the stairs went, Link's eyes stopped to the cloud of ash and smoke covering the top. Inhaling deeply, he climbed and the stair disintegrated beneath his feet.

Yelping, he bolted up the mountain face, pausing only to pant, wipe the sweat streaking down his temples and avoid a plume of gushing fire. Near the top, on a wide, manmade platform, two bokoblin kept unnaturally still. Guarding, Link concluded and dove out of sight when the last stair corroded into nubs of rock. From behind a pillar of slate, he spied a wooden encasement with a ghostly white figure gripping the bars. Medli. Link inwardly groaned. He prowled a little further to the left and tested his sword's weight. Good enough for throwing. The sword whistled through the air and struck one of the olive skinned monsters in the middle of its forehead; a spray of blood arced in the air and it crumpled in a heap.

To her credit, Medli did not scream, she merely crawled further in her dark cell, eyes wide as moons.

Bursting out of cover, Link parried the second bokoblin's club and jabbed an arrow in the hollow of his throat. Instead of dying, the creature shrieked in outrage and pounded after Link as he raced for his sword. Twisting, he buried the blade between two ribs and the bokoblin fell to its knees.

Twirling his blade, the hero sheathed it and grabbed a club. "Stand back, I'm going to break the lock," he announced before swinging the crude weapon on the chains and padlock, several swings later, the metal dented, welts popped on the edges of his palm and the gate swung open. "Are you alright?" Link asked and searched the female for injuries. "If you were in trouble, you should have waited for me." He examined a blood filled blister on his hand and popped it, wincing in pain. "Those monsters could do worse than simply throw you in a cell," he lectured, "be more aware the next time." Saying this surveyed the area whilst Medli fumbled with her hands.

What happened to the bumbling Link she knew?

Did memory loss turn people you knew into complete strangers?

The Link standing before her scrutinized everything agnostically and a furrow appeared between his eyebrows. Medli described her childhood friend as brave, but not heroic, he helped people when they needed it, however, he did not seek trouble to embroil himself in. His politeness threw her off; she wished...He could fall back on his derogatory nickname.

Fruit Medli.

Stilling her wringing hands, she rummaged in her satchel and brought out a length of rope. Pausing in trying to burn the slopes of Dragon Roost Mountain with his eyes, (where did Link learn to glare like that?) Medli presented the rope to him and he tilted his head, examining it. "It's a grappling hook," the Rito explained and swallowed when a fleeting, mocking smile graced his lips, she blinked and the grin left. "...And," she hesitantly pointed to scratched posts hammered horizontally into the mountain face, "you wind the hook around those roosts and swing across, don't look down though, you'll get dizzy." Medli laughed weakly when Link flashed her a confident smile. He took the coil of rope, swung the weighted hook expertly and lassoed the roost, surprised, Medli clapped. "You did it!" she cheered and absentmindedly patted Link on his back. Gasping, Medli backpedaled and profusely apologized, somehow, if felt wrong to touch him.

"You should go back." He nodded to the village far below them and Medli's face fell. "I mean...It's dangerous from here on, and you can't fly yet can you?" A flush of shame crept over the chick's face and she nodded hurriedly, biting his lip Link hastily clarified. "No I mean, it's not your fault, your deity...Great Valoo is unable to hand you those scales therefore you cannot complete the ritual so..." Link broke off and tugged his grappling hook. "Medli, I'll be really relieved to know you are safe and sound in the village," his palms burned, "and Quill is probably worrying his head off for me." A breeze bearing the stench of sulphur and volcanic ash, trailed through the platform and Medli coughed. "Please, wait for me with Komali, I'll pay a visit to Valoo and I'll come back."

Clasping her hands in front of her Medli nodded. "But be careful," she shouted as Link swung in the air and waved, reassuring her. "I'll tell Komali about you, perhaps I can persuade him to give you the pearl." Medli's words drifted in the acrid wind and Link waited till she launched off, flapping her infantile wings and leaving snow white feathers in her wake. He grinned to himself.

People worried about him too much.

The upper part of Dragon Roost contained modern architecture and rooms too small for dragons to parade through. Running his fingers over walls of warm stone, Link noted the lack of cracks; steel reinforced the wooden bridges bridging over rivers of molten lava and their edges heated to untouchable degrees. Frayed ropes no longer posed a concern and Link did not stumble over giant claw marks gouging the floor. Slicing the ropes holding a bridge aloft, Link scampered over the unfolded bridge, swung over several grappling hook targets and his sword sliced through the hollow, thin bones of any fire keese daring to flutter close to him.

Swiping his finger over a thin ledge, Link peered at it with the aid of firelight. Clean.

Someone maintained these chambers rather well.

Too well.

Spinning around, he marched to a hanging platform and instinctively crouched when orange light reflected unnaturally. Did it bounce off a blade? Cautiously creeping closer, Link cleared a bend and inhaled sharply.

Skulls.

Smooth, stripped of flesh and reflecting torch light, a myriad of craniums straggled in shadows. Kicking one, he drove the tip of his sword through a fire keese which flitted out of the mass and studied the skeletons. Rito...Or human? He did not see anything like beaks or feathers. But feathers decomposed faster than bone. Laying his sword down, Link dug around the piles, soil (or decomposed flesh?) parted easily beneath his fingers and he tugged a single, half decayed feather from the piles.

The Rito who built the upper sanctums of Dragon Roost cavern were left here to die. Innocent people or criminals?

Bile rising in his throat, Link carefully cleaned the dust off the feather and stuffed it in his backpack.

A reminder.

A reminder...the fumes dizzied him and he clutched the wall for support. The lava and heat melted away and the sweat pooling on his head, turned to frozen water. Cold.

The air in the crypt forced goosebumps to rise on his forearms. A rock, with a blade. Three triangles. Triforce. Like a magnet, Link surged towards the rock sealed with paper charms and ancient magic. Heartbeat roaring in ears, he felt a primordial urge to remove the sword sealing the stone.

Free it.

_Free me._

Try as he might, Link could not remember what happened afterward, he remembered noise, his own scream, ripping out of his throat like a wild animal. Dust. Blue. A sword swaddled in his cloak and fastened between his arms as he squeezed through an air vent and stumbled on the streets of Castle Town under the accusing cover of a moonless night.

Stars did not map a path for him to Ordona village.

In the morning, Rusl, on his way to work, found a gangly teenager curled at gate leading to their hamlet. On attempting to wake him, he was rewarded with a hiss and a punch to his solar plexus. The starving teenager, red rimmed eyes rolling in hollow sockets, profusely apologized; he crouched next to a goat and attempted to sleep. "Link," he answered when asked for a name, in a hoarse and thready voice. "I'm a shepherd and this one is with child." He attempted a smile and patted the goat next to him. Rusl chuckled and pulled the protesting Link inside Ordona village; Fado did need help with his ranch after all.

* * *

The nightmare stopped and the plug in his throat dissolved.

Swallowing repeatedly, Link breathed in and out, Rusl recommended this technique whenever he felt overwhelmed. Slowly, he rose to his feet and swung his sword whilst strolling through twisted corridors. His sword training stances took over and for the next few hours, he worked through all the sets till his flabby muscled arms ached and his legs trembled. Fully confident he could butcher whatever monster lay on the other side of the boss chamber, Link unlocked the door and the chains fell away. Soil rained from above, dusting his cap with a fine layer of brown.

Inside the cave, Link noticed a cracked ceiling, a thick, stocky tail contorted and swung. A dragon's tail? Link rotated around the central puddle of lava, one iris glued to the crimson scaled appendage whilst the other absorbed the layout of the chamber and the placements of supply vases and wooden platforms bolted to the earth wall. Completing a circle, he jumped back when the surface of the fire pond bubbled.

A large, armored pincer sliced from under the lava and clobbered the space in front of him. Link raised an eyebrow, brushing a clod of earth from his cheek. Another pincer joined the first and a spider heaved out of the fluid fire, raining splatters of orange flame on all sides. Dodging the fiery rain, Link rolled to the side and brought up his sword to parry a strike from Gohma. Steel clanged against steel. Grimly, he retreated to the far edges of the cavern and contemplated.

First, remove the armor.

He grinned.

Lunging, he threw his grappling hook at Valoo's tail and hoisted on a higher platform. Above, the dragon roared in agony. The lava puddle crackled angrily and steam rose in white sheets. One arm tangled in golden coils of rope, Link grappled to Gohma's back and hacked at the chinks in armor. His tiny sword tip drove into joint bends and lifted the exoskeleton with a sickening screech of metal and tearing muscle. Each time Gohma moved, he launched off the parasite and swung out of reach whilst the monster clawed irately under him. Throwing the cast offs into the lava, Link hooked his sword into flesh and hiked his way to the head. Grappling Gohma's protruding eye, he held on for dear life as the creature buckled and tossed. Tethered with rope, Link flew sideways, up, down and landed with painful thump on the spider's back. Hissing furiously, he pulled on his grappling hook and Gohma's eye rolled frantically. Stabbing the eye a total of three times, he vaulted off the dying monster and cursed when his knee collapsed.

Face meeting earth, Link lay there, tired, panting and congratulating himself on a job well done.

The mountain quaked; Valoo's thunderous bellows filtered through rock walls, smacked his ears and squeezed his heart. Struggling to remain upright on numb legs, Link desperately limped to the pond of lava, tinted scarlet with Gohma's blood. A shaft of light beckoned him and he waded through the semi congealed liquid and threw himself in the silver light just as the top of Dragon Roost Mountain blew apart.

Waking up to Quill's concerned visage, Link pushed the Rito away and mumbled about personal space.

"Personal space?" The postman demanded, the decorative feather on his head trembling in rage. "Personal space? You have a gangrenous left foot and if you were a second late, the doctors here were to cut off your entire leg off. Saw it off, right beneath the knee!" Quill huffed. "You like that Link, hopping around on one leg?" The Rito Chief stood beside the fuming post man, his expression one of professional calm. Next to him, Medli trained her ruby gaze to her feet. "When you recover, I'm taking you back hom-"

"Quill, enough," the chieftain interjected in a firm voice and the Rito in question bowed respectfully. If possible, the premature wrinkles around the chief's eyes deepened. "I am sure you knew the risks involved when you entered the cavern." Link nodded and slurped a glass of pumpkin juice, not enough cider, he pouted and set the mug down. "Link, thank you for taking care of our problem," the Rito chief inclined his head, "I talked to the King of Red Lions and we both agree you must undertake this journey." A proud smile littered his beak. "I will leave you with your friends." Majestically whirling away in a blur of magenta, white and emerald, the chieftain departed with his spear hefting guards. Komali assumed his place and pushed Din's Pearl in Link's hands.

He and Medli shared a look.

"You need it more than I do," the boy smiled, "and think of it as my token of appreciation." Confidence replaced his previous troubled aura. "Medli and I are going to hike up Dragon Roost a few days from now, to complete the ritual and become fully fledged Rito. Father says we are living in an age of great turmoil," an electric tingle ran down Link's spine, "and I want to be prepared to help you to the best of my abilities." Komali smiled again and waved. "The doctors said you can leave anytime; I guess I should leave you and Medli alone now." A knowing grin surfaced on his face whilst Medli sputtered and Komali left, chuckling airily.

Huffing, Medli fanned her fae and calmed. "I'm really sorry," she apologized and bowed. "If I had known you were injured, I would never..." The female trailed off. "But none of that matters now." Purpose shone in her limpid eyes and inwardly proud for inspiring two young children, Link reached over and clasped her hands. Going very red in the face and falling silent, Medli managed to croak a small thank you. "For everything, but I hope," Link let go of her hand when tears gathered at the edges of her eyes, "I hope, you can all remember us again. I want things to go back to the way it was."

"It will," Link assured and drowned the contents of his glass. "I promise, I'll make sure it will."

* * *

"You call this, a shrine?" Link swept his pudgy palms at a miniscule island of stone with a stylistic wooden gate and two sorry, stone effigies crowded at the far end. "This is an insult to all the shrines I've ever saw," he grumbled and trudged up the worn steps, his foot still throbbed but at least his leg did not give up on him.

The King of Red Lions guffawed. "There is a shortage of land on the Great Sea," he said and the boy nodded empathetically. "So forgive us if this humble Wind Shrine fails to meet your high standards."

A skew smile bloomed on Link's face but it shrunk when he stalked to Zephos and Cyclos' monuments. Idly scratching his chin, Link poked around the broken stone slab, ran his fingers across its faded surface, trying to unearth its secrets. Crouching to his knees in a grunt of pain, he continued cleaning the layers of dust and dirt.

"Don't bother," the boat commented, "Cyclos' monument broke a long time ago and now he gets angry and rages, but there is a pattern to his storms." Link observed the boat skeptically. "Check the other stone tablet, Zephos is the mellow fellow," cocking an eyebrow at the rhyme, the hero nodded, urging the figurehead to continue, "and his symphony is the easiest to master. Take out the WindWaker and play the Wind's Requiem, it will allow you to bend the wind to your will."

Face scrunched in disbelief and eye twitching in disgust, Link held the slim, ivory baton of wood in his fingers and followed the directions etched on the centuries old stone. Up, left and right.

He thought he heard the wind whistle but it _must_ be a figment of his imagination.

"Yes," Link smirked, "I see the wind dancing to my tunes." A north easterly wind blew but it did not, unlike the boat's predictions, change direction. "Thank you for wasting my time when we could travel to our next destination." The boy scathed and the King of Red Lions bobbed in the waves. Gripping the WindWaker, Link stalked back to the watercraft when a sudden, violent gust of southern wind knocked him off his feet and he kissed the stone floor.

_Eat dirt! _The tempest sneered.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm imagining Link with a prosthetic leg. He'd probably limping for the rest of the journey and give Aryll a heart attack and the poor girl does not deserve it does she? As for Midna, I like to think she and Zelda were good friends.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is well appreciated.

At Reaper4425: To be honest, I totally forgot the Gale Boomerang had the Fairy of Winds in it. Yeah…it's never mentioned

Much thanks to Shadows from Twilight for liking the story, I hope it is a pleasant read.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Joy to the world**

Peeling his face off the grey stone, Link tasted blood. Above him, gusts of wind puffed indignantly. He sat up, regarded the WindWaker in his palm and gazed at the open sea.

The wind changed direction.

"…"

Conducting a simple symphony allowed him mastery over the winds.

Numbly getting to his feet, he hopped into the waiting boat and eyed his slim, eggshell baton warily. Overhead, the sky grumbled and the wind howled harder. Wrapping his arms around himself, Link squinted at the sky; will it start to rain frogs now? He wondered and reached for a flask of tea.

A loud chuckle drifted on the crisp currents and Link spat when a giant frog, riding a pale yellow cloud, descended. The King of Red Lions perked at the newcomer and the human regarded his companion suspiciously.

"Zephos, old friend," the watercraft greeted amicably as the wind deity halted. Blue-grey skin covered in warts and circular, tribal tattoos, the frog studied Link, contemplation clouding its reptilian eyes. "I found someone worthy of wielding the WindWaker." The King of Red Lions pointed a square chin at Link. "He is very capable; and despite appearances, he is not a child." Snatches of conversation floated past Link's ears and his head immediately snapped up.

The deity, bushy white eyebrows perched over bulbous eyes, hummed thoughtfully and nodded, a single antenna curved like a question mark in the middle of his forehead.

Veering closer, Zephos scrutinized Link with an unfathomable gaze. Inhaling deeply, Link rooted at the bottom of the boat and politely held the wind god's probing stare. "Hmm..." the frog croaked. "Hmm, I sense great potential in you, young one." Link opened his mouth, thought the better of it and pressed his swollen lip into a thin line, mind still reeling at the changing winds. "You seem very troubled; one must always walk forward with a clear conscious." Zephos lectured and the hero clenched his fists. "I can tell you are very skilled in whatever you do," the deity continued and floated in lazy circles, while a gale surged around his cloud, "and despite this, you carry a heavy burden-"

"The fate of an entire world is a huge responsibility to bear," Link interjected and bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to interrupt," he mumbled and listlessly organized the deck.

"...True and you have others who will help you share such a burden." Zephos smiled. "Well then," he pointed to the broken stone monument, "my brother, Cyclos, has quite a temper," a flash of thunder underlined the warning, "and he tends to get real grumpy about things such as his broken effigy." The wind god laughed, belly bulging and Link grinned politely. "But I suppose if you meet him in the middle of a cyclone, bring him down a peg or two will you?" The boy in the boat smiled wider, carnal pleasure seeping through pitch irises and Zephos shared a quick look with the King of Red Lions. "I should take my leave," the blue-grey frog announced and vanished in a swirl of air.

The sky cleared with Zephos' departure but the bank of clouds on the far western horizon, refused to leave. Link fiddled with the sailcloth, his gaze drawn to the WindWaker gleaming in the midday sun. Gingerly running his fingers across the baton, he threw it in his bag. The King of Red Lions set sail at an easy pace whilst Link hunted through his meager stash of books and found nothing on magically changing air currents and flash storms. Settling for sharpening his sword on stone, he fixated on the horizon and counted hours as the sun marched in an arc overhead.

"Why do you hate magic so much?" The King of Red Lions broke the heavy silence and Link paused before replying.

Interlopers, a race of sorcerers governing the sacred realm.

Goat bleats and the smell of hay, replaced the sounds of choppy waves and gull screeches and the present, sunbeams dancing on foam tipped water, broke for the past; grass tickling bare forearms. Fado shouted at the goats and shaded by a sprawling pine tree, Link devoured pages of history.

Long after the Hero of Time passed, Link's ice blue eyes lingered on the portrait of the man, the sacred realm enjoyed long years of peace; but the sages grew greedy. They wanted Hyrule as their own. Armed with the power and knowledge of magic, they attempted a revolt, usurping their rights and responsibilities and terrorizing the citizens. For their transgression, the Interlopers were banished to a realm opposite that of Hyrule's light; the world of Twilight and the four great light spirits condensed the magic of the Interlopers into four pieces of fused shadows.

Fused shadows, Link stared mindlessly as triangular fins sliced through the water. _She_ wore one, he was sure of it. Collectively, the fused shadows formed into some sort of elaborate head piece and the topmost piece perched on her oversized head.

Twilight Princess...

"Magic corrupts," Link sagely concluded, sparks flew from his whetstone as he grinded furiously. The noise calmed him. "And I dislike things that do not make sense," he paused in his sharpening and his arm darted for the grappling hook. Golden coils of rope unfolded and the metallic clamp bit into the arm of a fuchsia bokoblin. The human yanked the hook roughly and the monster toppled into the water. Boat slowing, Link examined his spoils under the rays of a reddish sun and turned a joy pendant over in his fingers. "Now we have monsters wearing jewelry," he scoffed and touched his earlobe. "...Earrings are not really worn here are they? The males I mean," Link asked and the boat shook his head.

The hero strapped his sword on his back and nudged the red lacquered water craft closer to the bobbing raft. "You wear ear-markers?" The figurehead questioned, disbelief lacing his tone and Link nodded. "Only pirates and other, unsavory men wear them." The boat explained and Link smirked knowingly. "Out of curiosity, why did you wear one?"

Another pause. This time Link fumbled with his wallet, dropped rupees, kicked the pirate charm into a corner (what did the child have against those stones?) and smoothed his tunic. "I got it pierced on a whim," he eventually admitted and grabbed the paddle. "Someone I admire," his grip on the oar tightened, "wears an ear…marker so I imitated him." Nodding to the bobbing raft, Link vaulted over the gap and landed with a small thump. "I'll explore this submarine for treasures, I'm running low on funds," he stated and disappeared down the ladder.

Silent, the King of Red Lions angled his head towards the sky, the sun dipped below the sea and a crescent moon created a pale scar against a blue black heaven.

"What other secrets are you going to keep from me?" he asked and the pirate's charm, hidden between a box of discarded wrappers and cans, lit up with a cyan glow. "I believe, I asked you to check thoroughly," the boat said between clenched teeth, "I do not appreciate being kept in the dark."

Monotone laughter spilled from the stone and it pulsed. "Hard to spy on a kid when he's hyper aware of his surroundings, did you see how he keeps watch? We landed ourselves an animal." The voice bled, devoid of emotion, "and what about you? Aren't there things you are keeping from me?"

The boat refused to reply and the electric blue hue of the sky met a blazing red horizon.

_Red sky at night, sailor's delight._

* * *

Torchlight reflected off water jars and wooden crates poured forth stacks of meat, biscuits and slabs of cheese. Picking up a wheel, Link nibbled a corner and chucked the wheel into his bag, it did not have the sophisticated tang of Ordona's goat cheese but it will do. Scooping up packets of biscuits, he crunched one under his teeth and stashed the lot. Hovering over slabs of smoked meat, Link grabbed a steak between his index and forefinger and studied it, wondering if he should turn into a vegetarian. Groaning, he searched for a monster in the gloom, one of them could enlighten him on the source of the meat.

As if the goddesses answered his prayers, a bokoblin strolled by, lantern swinging from long nails and club thwacking against its thigh. Tapping the monster with the tip of his sword, he gestured to the food crate and the olive skinned creature goggled before opening its mouth to screech. Counting three missing teeth and a rotting one, Link swiped his sword across the bokoblin's throat and the warning shriek dissolved into a bloody gurgling.

Covering the crate, Link snatched the lantern and prowled the floor, the submarine offered a wealth of items to pilfer and he examined each one before tossing them into his bag or using it as a projectile to nail an unsuspecting sentry in the nose.

Crunch.

The nasal cartilage of a bokoblin snapped when Link clobbered it with a vase. Wooden floor boards creaked beneath his weight and he tread softly. Dim torches illuminated snoring monsters strewn over the submarine floor. Grabbing an apple to stifle his hunger, Link munched on it whilst working through the entire floor. He came across a wooden chest and his eyes lit up. Setting the lantern down carefully, he cracked his knuckles, threw the apple core into a waste bin and wrestled with the lock. When his under developed muscles proved inadequate to wrench the rusted chains off the treasure chest, he cursed fluently.

A bokoblin stirred, grunting questioningly and Link thoughtlessly crushed its windpipe.

The wheezing stopped and he wiped his palm.

Bringing his hands together, he attempted to pound the chest open, to his surprise, the aged wood splintered. Blowing on his throbbing hands and wiping stubborn tears, he bent with the lantern and retrieved a glass bottle from a nest of protective straw.

Eyebrow cocked incredulously, Link held the bottle to lantern light. An entire chest, dedicated to an _empty bottle_? Shrugging, he pocketed the item; bottles _were_ valuable, and trekked back to the entrance, hopping over slumbering monsters and stabbing one when it reached for his foot.

Torn in indecision, Link eyed the meat one last time and loaded it in his bag. It came from a cow; he told himself, those big things that aren't goats. He climbed the ladder and slowed when a star spangled sky greeted him.

Gently tossed by waves, Link scribbled a list. "Meat," he remarked, "where does it come from?"

"Cows mostly," The King of Red Lions replied, missing the obvious sigh of relief uttered by his passenger. "And pigs and Windfall is famous for their goat meat and cheese, it is the only island that stocks mutton."

"Good for them," Link growled and updated his list. "I'll turn into a vegetarian before I let mutton pass my lips." He leaned forward. "We are going to Forest Haven next?" he queried and received no reply. "King of Red Lions sir?" He prodded, his hands fastening around the figurehead. "If you are tired, we can set sail later," he gestured to the sky, "it's a nice night for starwatching." Mind far away, the boat vacuously nodded and Link looped a Joy pendant around the boat's forepeak. "Here, you said Joy pendants spread joy to the world," the human announced and sat in the bow, a thin blanket draped over his shoulders.

Water lapped against the hull, splashing the red of the boat into crimson. With the aid of a lantern, Link pored over sea charts and travel journals before sleep forced his eyelids to droop.

The King of Red Lion's rocked in small waves, the submarine remained mercifully quiet.

Sheets of grey clouds parted to let a silver moon shine, on deck, Link thrashed erratically, his hand knocked against the glass lantern and it shattered, jagged fragments glistening with oil. The low growls in his throat increased till he screeched and startled, the boat woke up, rotating to see his passenger in the grip of a night terror. Before the figurehead called out, the human bolted upright, hair disheveled and fighting to control his ragged breathing. Glass cut a line on his palm and he pressed on the wound, rolling to the side of the boat to dip his stinging hand in the sea.

Cobalt streaks swirled on the ocean's surface and reflected on his pallid, sweat drenched face. Cautiously, he dipped his hand in the cool sea water and the swirls dissipated, reforming a meter away from him.

"What do you call this phenomenon?" Link questioned, the phosphorescent glows formed and reformed into patterns, teasing him, always out of reach.

Mesmerized, he smiled dumbly, churning the water with his palm. The cold numbed his limb but the lights dancing right beneath the dark surface of the water fascinated him. Leaning out of the boat, Link tried to touch them.

"This...Is so beautiful." His eyes dilated, straining to absorb as much as possible. "Lights under the water, under the sea," he muttered, wrapping his soaking and half-paralyzed arm in a swathe of bandages. Swirls of arctic blue and lime rushed past him and he scooped the glowing water into a bottle. "Beautiful," Link repeated, his high pitched voice barely above a whisper. He shook the bottle, giggling when the lights floated around. "Hey," he hung on the figurehead, "where do these lights come from?"

The King of Red Lions sighed.

"Stop scrutinizing everything and watch," he admonished and Link grinned, leaning on him. After a considerable pause, the watercraft added, "It is called bioluminescence, marine creatures create light inside their bodies and at night, this shines on the surface of the ocean."

Nodding Link shook the bottle again, the colors hypnotized him, deep lapis lazuli beads tumbled in the water. "But I don't see anything in the sea?" he insisted and relaxed when the ocean blazed white and sapphire.

"Microscopic creatures," the King of Red Lions explained. "More importantly, you suffer from terrible nightmares." Transfixed and guard down, Link nodded. "Does this happen all the time?" Another nod. "Would you like to talk about it?" This time, the human tore his eyes away from the bewitching patterns long enough to stare gravely at the boat and he shook his head languidly. "Link..." The boat considered his words, when a carefree smile danced on the boy's lips.

The hero leaned dangerously, one arm fastened around the mast, if he took another step, he would be in danger of capsizing. "Please give me some time," he requested. "I want to see this, I want to remember this," he waved his hands, face lit up by bioluminescence, "if I can burn this beneath my eyelids," his voice fell into a mutter, "the nightmares will temporarily stop..." He broke off and plopped on deck, keeping vigil on a glowing sea.

Faint, snow white light bled on the horizon and propped against the mast, Link snored quietly; the King of Red Lions let him. The poor child rushed through things, driven by a pressing need to dispose of Ganondorf. Eyes crinkling at the sleeping boy, the watercraft hung his head, dark lines formed beneath Link's eyes and his once chubby cheeks caved in, leaving him appearing hollow and sickly. The boy looked after himself well enough, but the stressors heaped on his still growing body, encumbered it. Golden rays of sunshine chased the darkness away and Link's eyelids lifted.

He trundled on the deck, washed his face and munched on a breakfast biscuit. "We're still on course," he announced, tone thick with sleep. Clucking his tongue, he said, "I wasted too much time yesterday, ogling at the sea when we could've set sail and stop at Forest Haven." Grumbling, Link unsheathed his sword and practiced. The white sail puffed and the King of Red Lions glided through the water, the air around him, whistled threateningly.

"How old are you supposed to be?" The boat probed, wondering if Link will answer his question at all.

"I'm nineteen this year," Link replied and the air sang as he sliced with renewed effort. "I work as a goat herd," he offered and the blade glinted. "Hmm..." The King of Red Lions heard the clatter of a weapon hitting the deck and fluent cursing from his passenger, wincing at the choice of words; he craned backwards to see Link poking his index finger on his abdomen and stomach. "I'm very healthy," he explained and dropped into a squat, "but in this child's body, I can't do much."

The boat shook his head. "You are doing more than what is required of you." He let his words linger but Link gnarled dark omens while doing sit-ups. "Another thing, hearing such words come out of your mouth is..." the boat trailed off and smiled apologetically when Link paused in his exercise to glower demonically. "And don't look like that when you are angry, you can kill someone." The glare dissipated and the boy broke into a maddeningly cheerful smile. "Stop smiling for no reason, you _do not_ have to put up appearances." The King of Red Lions swung forward and exhaled heavily. "Be yourself, you shoulder a great burden; however, do not lose yourself while you are trying to save another."

On the deck, Link completed his second set of crunches; the previous smile plastered on his face crumbled and his eye sockets burned.

He directed his piercing stare on the figurehead's cloudy mane.

_What do you know?_ He silently asked

What the hell do you even know?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Defeated Dreams**

Dying preserved in a hunk of ice?

Not on Link's bucket list.

Paws freezing on the light blue mirror of ice, Link couched low, nose brushing against the frigid surface, centimeters away from a Zora's, stark mask of horror. Breathing, his eyes wandered to the other unfortunate creatures stuck in the ice. Dead. His mind supplied and a tear snaked down his snout and landed right above the oval shaped mouth of a fish-human thing. The droplet steamed and he raised his head to see Midna hovering around the frozen domain.

_Witch_.

His lips curled backwards on remembering how a shadow kargaroc flew them into the realm whilst she cackled at his expense. Link _might have_ peed on the way but he refused to remember such a humiliating experience. Paws burning, he barked for Midna's attention. The imp studied her frozen surroundings, a wad of linen wrapped around her swollen forearm. Guilt souring the milk in his stomach, Link refocused his attention to the Zoras suspended in the frozen pond of water and wept for them, breath warming the icy surface.

What did they do to deserve this? He questioned and beneath the layer of frost, an eyeball moved.

Petrifying, Link stared, jaw hanging open. The eye rolled again and his heart stopped beating.

Mechanically, he peeled his paws from the burning ice and padded towards Midna; she looked at him and grinned.

He wished she stopped smirking like an irrational demon.

"What is it doggy?" she questioned, "you look like you saw a ghost."

_I_... Link faltered; did he imagine them being alive? _Live Zora_, he barked and jerked his head to the frozen pool. _Go check_. Midna flew to the hunk of ice and examined the inert figures; she snapped her fingers and Link cowered in a shadow.

"They are alive." She grinned diabolically. "Well, they are equipped to living under tundra," she quipped. "Though we can't leave them like this." Link yelped in agreement, finally, Jabun granted this imp a heart..._Hopefully_. "Do you recall the giant volcanic boulder in the middle of Goron village?" she asked and Link tilted his head to the side, boulder? _What boulder?_ All he recollected was those delicious rock buns, an emerald nearly chipping his tooth and the grandfatherly figure of Gor Coron; he melted to the floor, missing the cotton haired elder immensely. "Right," Midna exposed a fang, "you only remember food." She paused, chin propped in her hand. "We need to warp to Death Mountain and get the rock here, I'm sure the heat trapped within it will melt this place and we can ask the Zora what happened." Her voice softened. "Come, we don't have time to sniff around."

Having no idea about warping, Link expected it to hurt. Fortunately, warping gave him nothing more than mild indigestion and he hacked up a fur-ball instead of lunch. Midna giggled, covering her saw teeth with a too small palm and Link glared at her, the heat from the nearby Death Mountain plastered his fur flat. "Nifty, no?" His companion trilled and twirled in the air.

_Very nifty_, he reluctantly nodded, _so why in the great Deku Tree's name are we running around, and wasting my energy instead of simply warping to places?_

In the middle of the Goron village, the sacred wolf skirted a magma veined megalith; only now did he recall the volcano puffing out a boulder when he infiltrated the compounds. Despite the lapse of several weeks, the rock's surface remained hot to touch and whirls of steam evaporated in the air. Gleefully barking at the Goron brothers, Link suffered a smack from Midna and a warning not to show himself, lest those sentient boulders flatten him into a luxurious, dark blue rug. Whimpering, he crouched at the base of the rock and waited for Midna to work her magic.

The Twilli examined the rock from all angles, teleporting it will require great stamina, a fair share of her magic power and she could not do it with so many Gorons keeping watch over the central commons. Eye roving over the metal and earth platforms biting into the side of the mountain, she searched for a distraction. In the backdrop, Death Mountain rumbled angrily, sluggish streams of lava coursed down its slopes. Gaze pausing at the sacred wolf playing with a ball of mud, Midna smirked.

She snagged Link in her hair and hurled him to an inattentive Goron. Fear flashed in his eyes however, he flipped through the air and landed easily, pausing to snarl triumphantly before escaping a rolling Goron sentry.

Satisfied with the impeding chaos, she closed her eye and concentrated on the rock. The fused shadow on her head pulsed gold at the seams and a burst of energy shot from her head and circled the boulder. Squeezing every drop of willpower, Midna lifted the rock, sweat snaked down her face and the cacophony of mayhem drummed in her ears.

The monolith slowly rose off the crater and broke into miniscule black squares; the patch of sky above it, swirled in circles of red and black and vacuumed the particles away.

The din inside the village center ceased for one heartbeat. Link barreled towards her, teeth bared in fright and trailing a horde of stampeding Gorons. The earth quivered under their wrath and the wolf leapt for her. Seconds before the duo crashed into each other, they broke down, teleported and the vortex in the sky, disappeared.

They reformed in the frigid atmosphere of Zora's domain. The giant hunk of rock nestled atop the mirror of ice, creating a spider web of cracks. Steam spun and threaded into Link's fur and the residual heat, melted the frozen springs and tiny waterfalls. Sitting at the edge of the decorative pond, Link peered, the top layer of the ice melted into a slippery slab. Inch by inch, the rock dug into the pond and with an almighty crash, it drilled through the surface layer and plunged deep into the water.

Startled, he scrambled backwards when Fishmen, more _human_ than _fish_, leapt out of the water in graceful arcs and regarded him curiously, one brandished a whale bone knife and Link retreated, hiding behind a water stained pillar.

The Zora confusedly combed the corridor, brandishing long spears and short swords, they spread methodically, searching and questioning for intruders. Masked by the sounds of rushing water, Link crawled for the mouth of the domain. He did not know what to do. Belatedly, once he reached the main waterfall, a thundering sheet of cyan and mist, did he realize the fish people would not be able to see him.

Twilight covered the realm.

Whining, he rested on his paws, jumping down the waterfall sounded like a very bad idea. After licking his claws free of dirt, Link grew bored and swung his head sideways to see a rather beautiful fish lady, judging by her shock of hair, looking at him. Tilting his head, he nearly jumped out of his fur when she graced him with a serene smile and beckoned him closer.

Legs weak and glancing for Midna, Link skulked towards her. Beads of seashells encircled her forehead and trinkets wreathed her hair. Link's eyes trailed on a thick necklace of gold, the chain dipped to the middle of her chest where an elaborate brooch fastened additional chains of gold around her waist. Ruffles of coral pink and pearlescent white covered her legs and Link bared his teeth appreciatively.

At least she dressed to impress.

"Young hero," she spoke in a voice so faint, Link could barely hear her. "Link," she called and he nodded at his name. "My son...Ralis...it is a terrible thing for a child to witness their mother's death."

Silence filled Link's ears, or it could be the deafening roar of the waterfall, he did not know.

Link did not agree with her statement.

It is a terrible thing for a child to be without parents.

It is even more terrible, if a child hardly loved their parents.

The aroma of cream and mushroom soup choked the living room and Link struggled under the weight of his baby sister. He insisted on carrying her despite Grandma's protests, big brothers were born to carry their baby sisters; he obstinately stated and clutched Aryll harder. The baby whimpered in protest but the sniffles soon turned into giggles when he gently dropped her into a pile of blankets and played peek-a-boo with her. Toothless Aryll shrieked happily and repeatedly connected her tiny, pink foot with Link's face each time he made her laugh.

In the kitchen, Grandma read a letter and solemnly stared out of the windows.

Pregnant clouds blanketed a grey sky.

Rubbing her aching joints she heaved off the stool and with a tear stained letter in knobby fingers, hobbled to the living room. Aryll kicked Link square on his mouth and burbled happily while her brother moaned in pain and nursed an aching jaw. Nonetheless, when Grandma clasped him by the shoulders, he whirled around and a grin split his face. "She likes me," Link proudly boasted, blonde hair falling in shaggy strands around his head. "See, my baby sister likes me," he pointed to Aryll and she showed a gummy smile.

"Link," Grandma's voice cracked, "your Momma and Pappa are not coming home."

He frowned. "It's okay," he said. "I can take care of Aryll by myself," his pitch irises shone, "when they come back, she'll be walking around already."

Tears pooled in the creases of Grandmother's cheek. "No child," she sniffed and Link wiped her tears with a grubby sleeve, "you don't understand, they are never...Coming...back."

"Oh." Was all Link could muster, his lips quirked into a perfect oval. _His parents never coming back?_ An aching sadness gnawed in his heart but it coaxed no tears to his eyes. He did not know how to feel, his parents were hardly around to begin with. He remembered bits of his childhood, a cozy cabin filled with golden light and ocean scented blankets. "It's alright Grandma," his voice quivered, "don't cry, you're gonna make Aryll sad." He buried his face in Grandma's chest and closed his eyes.

A faded memory of daffodil yellow curls and a warm smile flitted in his mind.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Midna, hands folded beneath her oversized head, stated. "Queen Rutella was slaughtered by shadow creatures," her lips twisted, "as a warning to the other Zora members for defying a new rule." She clenched her fists at a phantom pain. "And she sent her child to warn Princess Zelda but after witnessing the gruesome death of his mother, grief clouded his mind and he fled to who knows where." Link nodded sorrowfully and shook his paws, trying to dislodge the remains of an insect exoskeleton. "Hmph, sounds like scene from a novel." The Twilli huffed. "Searching for an elusive prince can come later, _first_, we need to clear this area of Twilight and get my fused shadow."

Lips curling backwards, Link growled,_ I'm so sorry for thinking you have a heart, _he barked_. Heartless witch, _he shouted,_ I hope a bomb flower explodes in your face and knocks your head off!_

"Did you say something, doggy?"

_Nothing at all,_ Link bowed, tongue hanging out. _I didn't know you speak wolf._

"You read like an open book," Midna sneered, "of course I know what you are thinking, I can read minds you know..." The Twilli smiled slyly and Link blanched; he flooded his mind with images of Midna picking dandelions and making daisy crowns and baking cookies and hoped she might forgive him for wishing death on her. "Lanayru spring is not far from here, we need to collect the Tears of Light and set this region free."

_Yay!_ Link snarked, _more tasty bug crunching._

Slinking after Midna with his tail dragging in the soil, he studied the Spirit of Light. A snake. Nasty thing, he concluded and mentally backpedaled with Lanayru gazed at him. Partially listening to a boring lecture, Midna took care of those; Link received the Vessel of Light and began his search for the elusive bugs.

Slightly familiar with their habitats and hiding places, the sacred wolf tore over the field, Midna crackling on his back. The first few were easy to find, they scuttled in bushes and tall grass and Link traced them by their menthol reek and phosphorescent glows. The bug hunt forced him to enter a modest, wooden shack at the lower end of Zora's domain and he ogled the fish catches pinned on the wall. Sniffing disdainfully at the portraits, back at home, the sailors on Outset Island reeled in fish the size of a _whale_, he tore his eyes off the images. At Midna's persuasive prompting, he dove into a shallow stream and overhead a few Zora discussing the missing Prince Ralis. The Twilli jerked her head and sighing, he swam for the opposite bank, shook water off his fur and bounded for the remaining insects.

The scent of evil carried him across the rough terrain of Hyrule field. Paw pads bleeding, Link pressed his stinging limbs in a puddle of cool mud and wilted to the ground, panting. Midna materialized next to him and he spared her a listless glance, waiting for a derogatory comment to harpoon out of her mouth and spear him for his incompetence.

Screwing his eyes shut, Link recalled the image of the man in the mirror. _Him_. Come to think of it, the dude wore a strange outfit. Layers of moss green cloth, a cream shirt and pants, and a brown leather belt holding his outfit together over his chest. Scoffing, Link probed deeper, trying to understand what _he_ might do in such a situation. An overwhelming darkness and anger filled his mind. His stomach felt queasy and his eyes snapped open to see Midna bandaging his paws.

"Take care of these injuries before they cripple you," she tartly stated and he tried to nuzzle her. "If your wet nose as much as touches me," the imp warned and Link shrunk, "I'll cut it off, and were would a doggy be without his precious radar?"

Head dropping on the ground, Link watched a yellow moon, rising high in the sky. He rolled on his back, trying to picture Aryll's face.

And bolted straight up.

An insect scurried past him.

Dark green stained white linen and powerful jaws crushed through an exoskeleton of a large beetle and sank into its soft innards. A Tear of Light floated from the dark insect and lodged in the vessel. Link slunk back to his sleeping place and his mouth curled into a smile.

He wondered how Aryll would look at him now, mouth stained with bioluminescent blood, a large grey wolf hunting cursed insects.

His baby sister would be frightened out of her mind.

Head angled to the moon, Link howled. His voice carried through the forest, whispering over grass and winding through tall pine trees. It rushed over the water and knocked on doors.

He howled again. A cry of sorrow.

A cry of broken dreams.

* * *

Fat and ugly, these were Link's favorite description words but Grandma taught him to be polite. And though he refrained from giving Rose, Zill's mother, such appropriate portrayals, Link supposed no one would mind when the recipient of his thoughts was a monstrous creature.

A bug about the size of a bullbo.

The _thing_ floated on the surface of Lake Hylia and the sacred wolf's legs locked. Suddenly, the water seemed like a dangerous place to be. Coughing excuses to Midna earned him an ear twisting and he jumped on a flimsy board of driftwood bobbing on the lake's waves. Hopefully it will splinter into pieces and he will have nothing to stand on. Sacred wolves did not have the ability to walk on water did they?

He hoped not.

"This is the last stand," Midna assured and glared at the insect; Link sighed in relief, at least she directed her disdain at something else for once. "Once we defeat that _thing_," she pointed to the bug with a disgusted index finger, "all the provinces will be free from the accursed Twilight-"

_But I thought you said Twilight is beautiful,_ Link interjected and she peeled her eye away from the Bloat to leer at him.

"Shut it doggy," she hissed and her lip curled into a sardonic smile promising pain and torture. Glowering at the oversized insect, she jumped on the wolf's back. "Tear that thing apart," she commanded. "I'll stain the lake water with the blood of my enemies," Midna vowed solemnly.

Running a tongue over his canines, Link hoped the blood will not permanently stain his teeth into an ugly red. _Also, you're being dramatic,_ he fired and she reached for the earring. _Fine, fine, don't hurt me!_

Twilight Bloat hovered on six translucent wings. Zooming on the dark veins running through the wings, Link ripped them off in a burst of dark green blood. Hopping from one platform to the other, he tensed. Midna's thighs dug into his ribs and it hurt.

Face screwed in concentration, she swerved to the side each time the insect veered closer and forced Twilight Bloat back with her knot of hair.

Latching on to its face, Link clawed its bumpy, squishy body and swallowed nausea when a splash of lime green splattered his face. The insect smelled absolutely foul and he dove into the water to get the tissue fluid off. Resurfacing behind it, he plowed into its back, tore the remaining wings off and studied the spazzing creature as it lay on its back and waved its stubby, disgusting little arms about in the air.

_You do the honors,_ Link humbly nodded to Midna who flew above the insect. _I'll be in that patch of windflowers, trying not to lose my lunch._ He stalked off without another whimper and never looked back.

Midna's hair morphed into a glowing spear, she grinned devilishly and speared Twilight Bloat, closing her eye when its blood flecked her abdomen.

_Zant_, her lip curled back and her pupil narrowed. Calming, she irritably wiped the blood off and turned to Link nibbling a bouquet of violet, delicate flowers. He rolled around and petals studded his fur. Allowing herself a small smile, she floated back to the wolf and gently smacked it. "Stop frolicking doggy." The wolf eyed her, curiosity gallivanting in his ice blue eyes. "We have a spirit to meet and when you go back into a human, we will traverse the Lakebed Temple." Midna grinned when his shoulders drooped, "and then..." She trailed off.

Dying sunlight burned the water.

My people...My home.

"Let's leave," Midna suggested brusquely and evaporated in Link's shadow, "and don't get sidetracked by other things you hear me?" She laughed and the wolf shook its head to clear it off her velvety chuckles. "I do miss your human form," Midna purred, "I look forward to pulling your cheeks again."

Grumbling, Link padded to Lanayru Springs.

* * *

A vast plain of black and grey.

Three golden triangles hung on the horizon, on top of a low field covered with yellow dandelions. The complete Triforce shimmered and Link stood where light met dark, where the world ended and twilight began. All background noises fell away; he barely heard Midna's chattering above the serpentine Light Spirit's grave warnings.

He barely heard anything at all.

Inside this safe cocoon, Link stepped forward, his limbs heavy, his mind throbbing against his cranium. Every bit of him screamed for the Triforce glittering on the horizon but an insistent, rational part of him, held itself back, screeching a warning. A thirst for power overrode this warning; he must save Hyrule, so why not seize all the power for himself?

It sounded like a good plan.

An _excellent_ plan.

Legs working furiously, Link salivated at the flavescent light diffusing from the triangles; his mind tossed and tumbled, congratulating himself on his superb contemplation. The closer he stepped, the further the triangles floated away. Always out of reach. Teasing him with their brilliant glow. Growling, Link picked up the pace, eyes burning, vision tunneling. The black and grey landscape folded into nothing and he screwed his eyes on the prize. His birthright. Growling, he tore across the field, stumbling over small rocks hidden in the dense grass, the wind mourned in his ears and he paused when other figures clambered over the hill. Dismayed, he spun around, momentarily disorientated and angry, who were these people? And why have they come to claim what was his?

Unacceptable.

They wielded weapons and their dark shapes resembled him. A void opened in his chest and he snuck a longing glance at his Triforce. The triangles shimmered bewitchingly and he turned to thwart his adversaries. People, shapes, poured over the hills and angrily, he cut them down.

The curved dagger sliced through skin and flesh. Sawed through bone. Link suffered several stabs to his gut but the prospect of claiming the Triforce kept him afloat. Alive. Hissing and grunting, he plunged the dagger and built a mountain of corpses, with each person felled, the void in his chest expanded.

A hunger.

Greed.

Kicking a dead shape over the lip of the hill, he watched it roll down and wiped the bloodied blade on the grass; at last, the triangles were his. Tucking the dagger carefully in its sheath, Link trotted away.

A stabbing pain bloomed in his back, over his chest.

Vision blurring, Link glowered at the perpetrator. At a shadow with milky white eyes...

Windsock-esque hat...

At him.

At his shadow.

* * *

**A/N:** Midna making daisy crowns is something that will not happen anytime soon. And be yourself ya'll, it is important to take a break and look back and just give time to yourself. Eat chocolate! Cake!

Happy New Years, this is the year of Chocolate cake!

And please read and review, thank you all for taking the time to read. Hope this story makes a small part of your day.

At Reaper4425: Once again, thanks for reviewing

Much thanks to TrimusicaDrag00n90 for liking the story


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A coat of scars**

The human, long cap fluttering in a breeze, keeled in front of the serpentine Lanayru and Midna, a mere outline and skin peeling off her flesh, hovered above him. He seemed comatose and not even pulling his earring, which often produced dramatic results, woke him up. Eyes disturbingly open but dulled beyond life, Link stared at the grass tickling his knees, head bent at an unnatural angle. Inhaling sharply, Midna glared at the light spirit and demanded what she did with him.

In response, the spirit simply shifted. Internally screeching, the Twilli moved a respectable distance, away from the deep pools of golden water and the rune etched snake. Hiding behind a boulder, Midna observed; teeth gritted at the inert Link.

Several minutes later, he twitched and she sprung from her hiding place, suffered the unbridled brilliance of light and weakly floated towards the human. He clasped his chest tightly, lips parting in a miserable moan. Lanayru resurfaced from the spring and towered above Link; cursing silently, Midna flopped to his side and clutched a fistful of his tunic. If the human abandoned her quest and died due to some unforeseen circumstances, she will raise hell and watch Hyrule perish along with her domain.

One _will not_ exist with the other.

Head pounding, she peeked from Link's back to see the serpent coiling and uncoiling, its incisors oozed golden ichor and Midna winced. A drop of that liquid will erase her, _permanently_. The thick droplet rode down Lanayru's curved fang and dropped on Link's forehead.

His eyes moved. A quiver ran down his body.

The human let out a long exhale.

Lanayru rumbled about greed and history, he explained about the Interlopers and Midna, lip curled in anger, studied Link. Each time the snake spirit mentioned the vice of greed, the human's ice blue irises jumped. He drummed his fingers on his thighs nervously and nodded mechanically. Suspicious of his meek behavior, the imp kept a firm hold on his clothes. Somehow, if she let go, the young boy will drift away.

To a place unknown.

"You understand do you not?" Lanayru hissed, tongue flickering in and out. "This is of a delicate matter, when the previous hero passed on, the Interlopers grew greedy and sought for all land to bow under their rule. Only, they possessed one major problem."

Link's lips moved but he made no sound. "The Triforce," he mouthed.

The serpent nodded. "Yes, every few millennia three people are born possessing the sacred power of the Goddesses and the sages can never hope to have the completed Triforce for themselves unless the three co-operate and willingly hand over their shards. Unfortunately for them, the bearers will never forgo their triangles and thus, the Triforce remains incomplete till today. Which is rather how we prefer it." Lanayru blinked. "Now that you are well aware of this land's gruesome history, I pray you undertake this quest with its risks in mind. Each and every human can fall under the influence of vices and Link," the snake solemnly declared, "Brave Link, I have full confidence that you will not succumb to the hunger of the Triforce, you possess courage," the serpent hissed softly.

For the first time since he came to in some other man's body, Link scrutinized the back of his left hand, breath lodging in his throat at the three triangles winking accusingly at him. One was fully shaded in gold and the others remained blank.

"Go and save Hyrule." Lanayru's voice echoed as he dove back into the pool and the golden ambience faded. Lights and runes ceased dancing across the water's surface.

The real world seeped in, birds chirped and insects buzzed, frozen at a rocky outcrop overlooking the pond, Link simply covered his hand and sagged.

Shooting up from her hiding place, Midna poked Link's cheek and a wide grin unfurled on her mouth. "Brave Link," she cooed, "are you ready to tackle your destiny?" She waited for him to spout another one hundred and one reasons of why he was not fit to save Hyrule and perhaps throw a tantrum and demand for a sandwich or two. Grinning, she waved his precious milk teasingly and instead of lunging for his drink, Link burrowed further into the ground.

Midna gently dropped the milk into his lap.

"I had a dream...It felt very real," he confessed, voice small and fingers playing an imaginary piano on his thigh. "It was horrible." Curling into a ball, he lay on his side, blue eyes reflecting the spring.

Floating in lazy circles, Midna queried, "Want to talk about it?"

Overhead, a falcon soared and temporarily blocked the sun with its great wings. "Why would I tell _you?_ So you can make fun of me?" Link barked. "I know what I have to do though." He pushed off the ground and dusted his clothes. "The Triforce..." he broke off and the fine hairs on Midna's nape stood on edge, "I need to collect _all_ of them." Link's voice petered into whisper. "If I can collect them, I will be able to save Hyrule without struggling so much." He stared into the pond, hypnotized by the ripples. "I know how to get them, I'll probably meet the other two Triforce wielders during if I go around all of Hyrule...then I'll just have to kill them and take it."

Recoiling from Link, who gulped his milk and licked white foam off his top lip, Midna gawked. Surely he could not? "You are not serious." She threw her head back and laughed and he glowered determinedly in return. "You...Great Goddesses above!" the Twilli exclaimed. "What am I ever going to do with you?" she hissed. "_Kill_ the other Triforce bearers? Are you thinking straight? Do you understand one of them is the soon to be Queen of Hyrule? Do you, _brat?_"

"It's the only way!" Link exploded, glass bottle squeezed between white knuckles. "The others will kill me if I don't! Everyone wants the completed Triforce and I must get it before they do." Eyes wide in fright, Link dug out the horseshoe flute from his backpack and blew in it. The melodious whistle skimmed over treetops and before long, drumming hooves announced the appearance of Epona. The horse nuzzled Link and he impatiently tangled his fingers in her silky mane before vaulting on the saddle. "Are you coming with me or not?" he asked the imp.

While he murmured to his horse, Midna plotted, she desperately needed the fused shadows but with the way her human burned with misguided determination, scared her.

She needed to derail him.

"Before you go on your grand quest to reclaim the Triforce, let's pay a visit to the children." Link's face darkened at her suggestion. "The little brats miss you; can't you at least _pretend_ you feel the same way?"

The male bristled at her words, bloodshot eyes flashing dangerously. "I miss them too," he gutturally voiced and squeezed Epona's flank. "Fine, I'll go see them."

Smiling, Midna perched on his shoulder. "Since Twilight receded from Hyrule, it is safer to traverse from one province to another" Link nodded thoughtfully and she relaxed when his hard countenance softened.

However, the lines around his mouth deepened and to her dismay, Midna realized she could not tell what he was thinking.

His thoughts were locked behind glassy irises.

* * *

Fighting through smoky rooms and listening to a tinny gramophone twinkling merrily in a corner, Link followed Telma, cutting a path to the back room. Here, the smoke vanished, the music stayed behind the ornate, double doors and Link slipped into a room illuminated by candle light.

Inside the room, Ilia, hunched on stool, got up when he entered. A fish-child lay on a makeshift bed of crates and drop sheets, light reflecting off its pallid face and tearing his gaze from the gasping child, Link fixated his attention on Ilia.

The girl smiled warily at him.

"She lost her memories, poor thing," Telma shook her head and indicated Ilia with a fat, ringed finger, "the trauma of getting kidnapped got to her; and we need to get that boy to Kakariko, Renado can take care of him since he is a shaman. You will have to escort us all the way to the village." Telma clapped Link on the back and he shared a panicked look with a wall. "I've got a wagon ready and packed full of supplies, we'll leave whenever you are ready." The bar owner winked and Link averted his eyes to the metal rings dangling on her bangs.

Sighing, he retreated in a corner, where the shadows melded with light. Plastering a smile for Ilia's benefit, he crashed on a crate and jumped when the aged wood splintered underneath his weight and revealed corked bottles. Still grinning, he crouched in a shadow and after making sure his girl-friend soothed the fish-child flopping in the bed, he called for Midna.

"What should I do?" Link asked and risked a glance backwards, candle light flickered. "They are delaying me."

The Twilli bared her fang. "I thought you would be glad to help two damsels in distress," she poked her elbow in his ribs and leered suggestively and Link's eyes bugged.

"Telma...She's fat and she nearly suffocated me with her chest, and who wears such low cut jackets anyway?" His cheeks reddened. "I could..." he sputtered and his voice lowered an octave, "see almost everything...Grandma's gonna kill me!" Behind the duo, Ilia moved and straightening, Link smiled and waved to indicate everything was alright. Returning his manufactured smile with a hesitant one of her own, Ilia vacated her stool for a glass of water and Link resumed his conversation. "I have to guide a covered wagon all the way to Kakariko?" he mused, "that's far, and I can't read a map." Shoulders slouching, he leaned against the wall, tracing an index finger in the dust.

Midna teleported in front of Ralis and inspected him thoroughly before slipping back to her human. "The Zora child is in desperate need of medical attention," she stated and Link stopped goggling his Triforce mark. "Do them a favor and Ilia _is_ the Mayor's daughter isn't she? Who knows," a sultry smile inched across Midna's face, "she might reward you with a kiss."

"Yeah whatever." Link rolled his eyes and pinned them on a candle dripping wax.

The door opened and closed, revealing Ilia and Telma wearing travelling cloaks. Grimacing at the coarse brown, goat fur sheets, Link cradled the fish-child in his arms and inwardly shuddered at the slimy and cold sensation creeping across him. Meekly, he followed Telma through back passages and spilled on a cobblestone street lined with dark green moss. The setting sun cast a fiery glow over the tiled rooftops of Castle Town and after helping Ilia and Telma board the wagon, the wooden wheels clattered on the streets.

Out of habit, Link sniffed the air, lips twisting when he smelled stale smoke and spirits laced with an undercurrent of ammonia. Puffs of smog settled over the industrious parts of the town and when the passed a cafe, he inhaled the aroma of freshly baked scones.

Five times.

The wagon caught on fire a grand total of five times and for each incident, Midna cackled like a maniac in his head. A windstorm, courtesy of the gale boomerang, mitigated the worst of disasters however, by the time Link wrenched a silver key from the cold, pale hands of a dying bulblin archer and unlocked the gates leading to Kakariko village; the white tarp covering the wagon burned away in patches, revealing two women, a gasping fish-child and protective metal ribs arcing over a precious cargo of food and fruits. The nights blew harsh winds and Link did not bother lighting his lantern. Instead, he crouched among the sandstone boulders and scrabbled at his left hand, training a listless eye on the wagon and pasting a plastic smile when Ilia offered to sit with him.

He tried to dig information on Link.

The man.

The goat herd.

The savior of Hyrule and rightful bearer of the Triforce of Courage.

A harvest moon rose above shadowy treetops and hung, impossibly large against a jet backdrop. Wondering how long he stayed here, Link attempted to recall the days and weeks trickling, then rushing into each other. He remembered heat, the butternut orange glow of lava and getting hit in the head. _A lot._ Bruised bones still sang when he moved, skin grew rough and worst of all, the anticipation of more horrors to come, kept him awake at night.

Approximately one and a half weeks later, the procession arrived at Kakariko village and Link whole heartedly embraced the excited children dancing around him. For a while, he forgot his all-consuming task and mercifully, Midna remained silent. For a while, he pretended to be twelve, yelling and running down the dusty roads with the children hot on his heels.

Tethered to a post, Epona's mouth worked on a handful of grass, she neighed softly at Ilia who watched Link and the children with a familiar smile tugging her lips. Clasping her hands, Ilia hurried into the shaman's sanctuary to tend to Ralis.

Outside, amidst dust clouds and creaking shop signs, Link and the children played tag. Crouching away from a counting Collin, Link treaded around the colorful exterior of Renado's house and grinned guiltily when the man, dreadlocks resting like snakes across his shoulders, shrugged thoughtfully. Stealing past a tree stripped bare of leaves and sporting foliage of grey billed guay; Link paused when he tasted an ominous energy in the air. Curious and frightened, he paced one step at a time till Midna surfaced and smiled coyly at him. Petrifying Link spun on his heel, tense. Weathered tombs grinned at him, teeth of some unknown monster. Inhaling deeply, the hero flashed Midna what he assumed to be a playful grin, before bolting for safety.

He almost cut into Renado's line of sight, but the accursed imp folded her hand-hair-thing, around his torso and catapulted him backwards. He landed against a wall at the end of the graveyard and the crumbling stone dug into his back. Pain rocketed up his spine and he shakily clambered to his feet.

"What's your problem?" he hissed, mindful of the monster birds. "The graveyard has nothing to offer me," he crouched when the guay took flight, "except dead bones." Link pointed to an open grave for emphasis. "Don't tell me there's some ancient temple under the ground?" He eyed her, attempting not to look too hopeful.

Since Midna loved to see the smile crumbling from his face, she crowed. "Years ago there was, I'm talking about millennia ago." The Twilli skirted the cracking wall, examining it with a frown on her face. "I see an opening." She discovered a crawl space overrun with dead ivy and motioned to Link, the human lowered on all fours and cleaned. "And I hear water on the other side."

"I hear nothing," pink faced, Link lied. "We should go back, before Collin and the others start worrying about me."

Lifting her eyebrow, Midna hooked a finger in the corner of Link's mouth and stretched his lips into a synthetic grin. "Don't be so...Un-heroic," she simpered, "there is something on the other side of this stupid wall and we are going to get it whether you like it or not. Grave robbing is fun, no?" The Twilli twirled and grinned ferally.

Hands faltering, a bead of perspiration teased a line down Link's face. "Grave robbing?" he squeaked. "You aren't? Nope, you are definitely not joking." Stomach churning, he dug faster.

Get it over and done with.

"Smart little human," Midna praised and coiled a lock of his sandy hair in her miniscule fingers. "You know, I'm starting to like having you around, with your temper tantrums and all." The human paused in his cleaning to glower furiously at her and when glaring at the grinning imp failed, he resumed his task with deliberate slowness.

* * *

Armed with a Zora tunic, the weird garment which let him breathe underwater and water-bombs, these Link protected with his life, as the bombs were precious and he loved to set them off in puddles of water; the hero rode on Epona. Midna eyed his bomb bag with a teasing grin and he stashed it away before she confiscated it.

The sun coursed west, lighting Hyrule field in a honey-orange glow and insect hymns filled the late evening air.

Epona cantered to a stop when grass turned to mud which turned to stone. Caste Town loomed ahead and Link craned to see beyond Hyrule Castle's turquoise turrets and into the wilderness beyond. Next to him, Midna consulted the tea tinted map and Link urged his horse to explore. The temporary freedom drew a soft sigh from him and he trotted around the western area of Castle Town. Weeds and daises pushed through the cracks of alabaster and casting a temporary glance at the intricately carved walls, Link reined Epona around. Riddled with geometric sigils and stamps of unknown, he traced his fingers over the carving and froze to a dead stop when ice blue eyes rested on a golden wolf. Mouth turning into sandpaper, he pretended not to see the wolf.

Unfortunately, the ghostly creature trained its single eye on him and fear replaced the hope bubbling in Link's chest.

Demounting, he patted Epona and sent her off with a carrot between her teeth. Alone, he approached the wolf, legs quivering in boots. The beast howled, ploughed through him and a familiar icy grip seized hold of Link.

He opened his eyes to a world of white; to a mountain bathed in rivulets of lava side and a desert, sand shimmering below the cruel smile of a snow white moon.

Inhaling a lungful of frigid air, Link demonstrated his last learned attack to the unimpressed ghost and braced for an onslaught of insults.

The blue skinned shade did not disappoint.

"Do you practice your sword swings?" The ghost thundered, footfalls growing closer. "After all these months, your form in still unpolished, are you making a mockery of me boy?" Swallowing angry tears and a plug lodged in his throat, Link's gaze drilled holes in the snow underfoot. "Why do your arm shake when you strike? Why do I sense unease in you when you fight? Why do you hesitate to your fate? You should be proud!" Shield vibrating, the apparition briefly flickered. "Proud to bear such a burden." Moving away, the ghost raised its sword. "Now come, bare me your spirit."

_Spirit?_

Jaws hardening into a grim slash, Link mirrored the ghost's stance after bowing respectfully. His heartbeat thudded in his ears. Blood roared in his veins. He clashed with the harsh mentor and with each ring of metal on rusted metal, he suffered a derogatory remark.

Swing too wide.

Cut too low.

Twice the sword sailed out of his grasp and flew through the air, the ghost barked at him to retrieve it.

No power behind lunges, no intent behind strikes.

No passion.

He saw red.

When the specter gestured him closer, Link complied. Snarling, he ditched his shield and grabbed the Master Sword's azure hilt, charging full tilt for the ghost. Moss grew in the cracks of the ancient soldier's armor. The gleaming sword tip stabbed through a chink and Link shoved, both hands thrusting it further and further till the hilt bumped against the bronze breastplate.

Clouds escaped his mouth and he scrambled backwards. The ghost became inert. Still as a statue and a shaky smile bloomed on the Link's face.

_I killed a ghost._ He mentally patted himself and collapsed on the snow, fingers and toes numb. One meter away from him, the ghost attempted a step forward and crumbled to its knees.

_I did it;_ the sandy haired male hugged his knees, tears creating frozen tracks on his cheeks._ I finally finished it off but..._

Why was he feeling so sad?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Trees have voices**

Forest Haven consisted of one giant island with two satellite landmasses. Although the island boasted a high tourism industry, no one ever saw any inhabitants living on it.

Fingers stained with tangerine juice, Link lobbed another segment of the fruit in his mouth and his eyes roamed pages of text. The King of Red Lions warned him about a talking tree. The Deku tree. Suppressing the excitement shining through coal black irises, Link turned a page. He wondered if this was the same sapling spawned from the previously dead Deku Tree. Putting the book down, he strolled to the front, the little boat sped over the sea and drew closer to their destination. Through the spyglass, he glimpsed a dense forest of dark green.

At night, mist rolled in light blue waves from the giant tree and during the day, sun bounced off its evergreen leaves.

The boat turned, to a fish slicing in and out of the water and Link braced himself for another bout of jeering, sure enough, when he spread all-purpose bait, a Fishmen's square and brightly colored face popped from the water.

"Hoy, small fry!" it greeted. Eye twitching, Link handed his moldy sea map, despite his misgivings, they excelled at cartography. "Catch you later small fry," the fish waved a blue fin smugly and Link grinned politely, legs locked to prevent himself from hurtling after the fish. He examined the map, impressed by the details of the other two landmasses.

As the King of Red Lions finished conversing with the Fishmen, Link piped, "You know, I spend most of my time at sea but I've yet to catch my own fish and taste it." The Fishmen turned rigid and stabbed the human with a look of contempt.

"Oi small fry, don't even _think_ of targeting us."

In response, Link sharpened his sword. The boat chuckled weakly and set sail before his passenger dove for the fish. "Link," the figurehead feebly stated, "I hope you were joking."

The scrape of metal on stone stopped. "But I'm hungry," the hero whined and licked his lips.

* * *

As they drew closer, Link glimpsed other features, the wings of a colorful bird as it flitted from one rough branch to the next. Screwing the spyglass on his right eye, he tinkered with the magnification and leaned forward till he threatened to capsize. The King of Red Lions circled the island slowly as per instructions and Link held his breath, studying Forest Haven from every possible angle.

Ignoring the Forbidden Woods and the ominous aura leeching from the cursed forest, Link paddled to a place where the tree roots and trunks converged into a landing platform; he grabbed his sack, slung it over an aching shoulder and hopped off the boat. To the north, a tornado spun water and wind and raged unbridled. Drifting on air currents, a flock of seagulls arced over his head, their squawking travelling overseas. Bowing solemnly to the boat, Link brushed his fingertips across the hilt of his sword; he will slide it out later, away from the King of Red Lions' prying, painted eyes.

"I may be gone for a while," the hero stated.

The figurehead's eyebrows shot up. "I know you have good intentions, but remember to rest and eat and take care of yourself. The Deku tree is a friend of mine, therefore, don't try to cleave it in half." Link held his hands up in mock surrender. "Forest Haven, I'm sure you have read in the books, is a magic imbued place," the boat continued and Link rolled his eyes, disinterested in the topic. "Spend your time wisely in there, you might find the answers you seek." Hesitance clouded clear irises and the boy nodded. "One other thing," the King of Red Lions hastily stated, mouth clacking, "there is some...one...Never mind." He twisted, away from Link's probing irises and sighed. "Take this," he pointed to the pirate's charm and Link frowned, "understand that I worry about you, I would like you to reassure me once in a while, humor an old boat will you?" the watercraft exasperatedly requested.

Grinning, Link lobbed the stone in his back pack and hesitated again, the boat noted the odd placement of his feet; one inching into the direction of the jungle and its mysterious song while the other pinned on the dock.

After an internal struggle, Link padded right up to the boat and threw his short arms around the figurehead. Warmth bled from his little body into battered wood and he squeezed softly. "If I find out anything of importance, I will relate them to you," he said and patted the craft's dragon head, a solitary seagull bore witness to their embrace. "I used to tame falcons," Link remarked and followed the bird, "perhaps I should try my skill with these seagulls." He smiled, not a polite quirk of his mouth but something more innocent. "I trust you." The words, barely perceptible, left his lips and he spun on his heel and vanished, cap sailing in the breeze.

Exhaling heavily, the King of Red Lions observed vines swallowing the young boy's form. Link's last words rung in the boat's head, a deafening din.

_I trust you..._He said.

A blade whistled, slicing through vines; Link grappled the tendrils apart and squeezed through. Tourist destination? He snorted; the brochure he picked up must be _severely_ outdated. As soon as the thought popped in his head, the vines compressed and spat him back outside. Growling, Link raised his sword to strike and right before he mutilated a woody vine, a sign perched on a platform of dirt, caught his attention. Tugging his sword free from where the wood swallowed it, he spat a curse, breathed deeply to control his frayed temper and hobbled to the sign. A gleaming mailbox danced next to the post and instinctively, he thrust an arm through the slot and inspected it for a letter. To his surprise, he received one and every nerve on edge; he neatly slit the envelope and read.

Red sunlight illuminated the words and he squinted as shadows lengthened.

The letter came from Medli, Quill and Komali. In it, they urged him to be careful and write to his Grandmother. Sparing half a second to feel guilty, Link read on; the Rito expressed their concern and offered help. Eyebrow raised, Link crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder.

Five steps away, an unpleasant churning in his gut forced him to backtrack, comb the grass and smooth the paper. He fondly read it again and after folding it into a neat little square, he thrust it in his bag; reminding himself to buy a chest for storing mementos.

A sudden idea struck him.

Fumbling in his sack, he dug out an old friend, his deluxe pictobox. Angling the protruding lens at a giant tree wreathed with pink flowers, Link snapped a picture. Delighted by the result, he kept on snapping pictographs till the sun slipped beyond the horizon and darkness crept across the forest. Sitting in ring of pictographs, Link studied each and every one of them, debating which one captured the view perfectly.

He paused at a white framed image held between cut laced fingers.

_What the hell am I doing?_ The hero wondered and shot to his feet, pocketing only one of the numerous pictographs he took; he tore the others and discarded them. The sign led him to a trail and silver moonlight bounced off grey rock and glowing water.

The sounds in the forest intensified and the distant orchestra he heard on setting foot on the Island, swelled in volume. An octorock popped from a rushing stream of water and without thinking, Link whipped his shield and bounced a projectile back at the beast. Squealing, it vanished in the rapids and he traversed a bridge of stone and wood, easily accessible by the most common of folks. Drawn by the song, Link trudged mindlessly.

The melody in the woods beckoned him.

Disturbed grass puffed golden fireflies in the air. Ducking through them, Link tried to catch one but the firefly weaved out of reach. Boots swished through grass and more bugs rushed to the sky. Chirps added to the song and Link stopped by a small central puddle. The air hummed, thick with humidity and his lungs heaved, demanding more oxygen.

The fireflies swirled, guiding him to a lily pad and after testing his weight, Link hopped on the giant leaf and floated to the center of the still pond.

To the heart of the Forest.

His breath caught in his lungs. Awe morphed to fright and thereafter to righteous concern and anger when blobs of green and red hung off the Great Deku tree like parasites. The sword slid silently out of its sheath and Link charged, leggings dampening. The tree woke abruptly and Link jerked his sword arm back, lowering it respectfully. Dropping to a ninety degree bow, he automatically retrieved an arrow from a makeshift quiver strapped on his back and pierced a green chuchu stuck on the Deku Tree's lower most root.

The jelly melted, staining the puddle into a sickly green.

Indignant by the attack on their brother, the rest of the chuchu detached from the tree with a squelch and plopped in the water. Fighting down the grin threatening to split his face (really now, what sort of impression would that make on the honorable Deku Tree?) Link fought nobly, dispatching the blobs with well-timed spin attacks; he bottled as much jelly as he could and carefully stored the jars on a mound of linen.

Monsters slayed, he neatly combed his hair into a respectable puff on his forehead, wiped the stains littering his tunic and waded back to the lily pad. The leaf shot upwards and with a sharp intake of breath, a silent cuss and wind-milling arms, Link regained his balance.

Light filtered through the dense canopy of leaves from above and threw the Great Deku Tree in sharp relief. The ancient face, receding inwards and grown over by many layers of bark, shifted and thick lips parted to form words in a language so archaic, Link dropped to one knee, humbled to the core. The Deku tree prattled on, in tongue unknown till Link's knee started throbbing and the words stopped.

The forest did not remain silent. Insects whispered and deep within the trunks of ancient trees, the sad lament of an ocarina lingered.

"You, your clothing, Ooohhh," the Deku tree sighed. "Forgive me, for I have erred," the tree continued, its booming voice petering to a soothe lull in Link's ears. "Your tunic reminds me of a bygone age and the longing for that time caused an ancient tongue to slip through my lips." The Deku tree bemoaned and Link sat on the lily pad, sharing the deity's sadness. "I thank you for getting rid of those parasites...Nasty things." The plant muttered to itself before regaining its regal composure. "Did the King of Red Lions lead you here?" Link nodded politely. "You came here searching for the Goddess' pearl..." The boy softly agreed and stood. "I see...The great evil has risen again." This time, the tree and forest grew deathly silent, the fireflies hung in oblivion, their dance suspended. "Koroks...Little children," Link bristled, eyes zigzagging when the undergrowth rustled, he relaxed when the Deku tree spoke to them, "this traveller is not your enemy, show yourselves and make him feel at home," the tree commanded.

At once, little leaf-like creatures sprung from the branches and floated to the gigantic lily pad.

Muscles locking together, Link studied them; he did not notice any hostile intentions. The Koroks formed a loose ring around him; pulled highly customized musical instruments out from Din knew where and began playing an orchestra.

Blasted by the noise in close proximity, Link's head spun. He fought for control but the hypnotizing, maddening melody pulled on memories he tried to bury. "The Koroks were once the Kokkiri children," the Deku tree supplied.

_I know that,_ Link hissed to himself.

"Time has given them these new forms, they hold a ceremony once every year-" the tree added as the song reached a crescendo.

_I know!_

"-and you are just in time to listen to it. One the ceremony is completed; I shall grant you the pearl. I apologize for the brief delay." Link covered his ears but the song drilled through, torturing him, "the ceremony is of utmost importance."

"I _know_ that," Link stated with deceptive calm, eyes watering. Around him the orchestra raged but he sensed a dissonance. "Please, I have a question," he shouted as the song slowed, "the Hero of Time, do you..." the words lodged in his throat, "does anyone remember him?"

* * *

An off key trumpet tune graced his question. The orchestra stopped, like a puppet with its strings cut. Several Koroks eyed Link warily, their foreign features guarded, and collectively paced away from the stranger, looking at the Deku tree for guidance.

One slender female broke the circle and stepped forward, face angled to the minor deity. She carried a flute in twig arms and a maple leaf, the color of an overripe peach, framed her face. "We have a problem," the Korok stated, high pitched voice prompting the others to search each other. "Makar," a babble of archaic tongues clashed, "is missing." The willowy Korok bowed low and retreated to the edge of the lily pad while the others argued, part common language, part unknown.

Listening to them, Link pieced a story together. One of their own, the cello player, Makar, tried to fly over the Forbidden Woods and fell into the belly of the beast. The Great Deku tree sighed and the violets growing over its roots, wilted. The Koroks kept a wary eye on the stranger; their expressions no longer welcoming.

"We do not speak of the Hero of old," the Deku Tree tactfully stated and the Koroks jumped off the pad one by one, some quickly, others lingering. "You see, the children of the forest remember a time when water did not cover everything, it is a long, long time ago and it places a burden on their mind. Some of these Koroks remember the Hero of Time fondly." The willowy Korok paused, sneaked a glance backwards before following her companions. "And others remember him as one who brought ruin." Indignation flared in Link's chest and he bit his lips, keeping comments to himself. "Link, I have a favor to ask of you-"

"I will go to the Forbidden Woods and rescue the one known as Makar." Link checked his blade and nodded to the Great Deku tree. "Please don't worry," he assured, "I'll set off immediately."

The tree laughed and blossoms rained from above. Mauve petals blending in the night. "I admire your enthusiasm," the tree stated, "however, how are you planning to get there?" Link scowled, thinking. "The waters are treacherous and studded with whirlpools; the King of Red Lions will not be able to get you across." A lull descended in the conversation and Link plotted, drawing shapes in the mud; on a far reaching branch, a large, broad leaf spontaneously appeared and the human ignored the strange phenomenon. "If you could hop over to the top and get the Deku leaf," the tree said after a pause, "it will help you fly to the Forbidden Forest."

Amusing himself by cupping his hands around a firefly, Link let go of the creature and it floated away, briefly illuminating the hint of disdain stamped on his face.

Now he could _fly_.

Exhaling resignedly, he grasped a vine and hauled up a few feet of the colossal tree and the deity pointed to a series of purple buds rooted on pole like stems. "Use those, they will help you reach your destination faster." The tree rumbled and its eyes closed, becoming one with the weathered bark.

Link hopped to the nearest bud and critically inspected it before reluctantly stepping inside its whorled center. He gasped when the petals closed tightly around his waist and screamed when the plant launched him in the air. Forest Haven dissolved in a mess of colors. Baubles of golden light, menacing shadows and olive leaves. Flailing, he lassoed his grappling hook around tree boughs and climbed upwards, arms protesting. Alighting on a leafy platform, Link regarded the glowing Deku Leaf, which towered taller than him, and brushed his hands across its smooth surface. The phantom glow around it, dissolved.

Now, how to use this thing?

"You can fly as long as you have magic," a voice squeaked and Link cracked an eyelid open, meditation shattered. "You seem really strong...Physically speaking," the Korok stated and appraised him, beady eyes searching, judging. "However, your attunement to magic is sorely lacking." Wondering if he should boot the Korok off and spare himself the agony of a lecture, Link grasped the Deku Leaf by its thick petiole and waved experimentally, a violent gust of wind spiraled away. "Oh no, that won't work, you have to hold it with two hands above your head," the Korok explained and Link obeyed. "Then you place your faith in the Gods above and leap," the forest child happily stated and demonstrated by gleefully hopping off the platform and gently gliding to a lower leveled cave leading outside. "See? Not so difficult." The Korok's voice echoed across a gorge. "Come on, give it a try."

The stream winding through Forest Haven, alive with lapis lazuli beads, glittered far below. An earthworm by Link's standards. Standing at the edge of the branch, he peered downwards, his stomach contracted. Leaping off the platform to a certain death did not seem favorable but he stepped back, breathed deeply and slung the Deku Leaf above his head.

Screwing his eyes shut, Link leapt of the platform.

And instantly knew he would not make it.

The Korok screeched. Its high pitched warning pounded Link's cranium. Breath escaping in panicked gasps, he opened his eyes, watching his feet and body dangle dangerously over a delirious drop. Arms aching, Link searched the skies, but he descended alarmingly fast and a greyish rock face, (or was it a modified tree trunk?) rushed to squish him flat. By now, he hyperventilated, his brain whirring for possible solutions.

Nothing.

Only death or the possibility of permanent injury mocked him.

An updraft.

Wind boosted him gently, he rose and bumped the crown of his head on a branch.

Below him, he heard singing. Cheering.

Jeering.

More puffs of wind joined the first and he floated on the currents. A ring of Koroks, their head leaves whirling, rose to meet him. Each one of the figures grabbed a piece of his tunic and shunted him upwards. To the platform leading outside. Relaxing, Link, completely at the mercy of the Koroks, hovered placidly with them, a soft ode hummed in his ears.

The Korok waiting on the grassy platform, glared balefully at him. "No shred of dignity!" he shrilled and subjected Link to another eye goggle. "Where did you live? Under a rock?" Back straight, the Korok pointed to the semi-circle of rock tunneling to the outside. "Even if you lived in a cave you _must_ be aware of the presence of magic, it is a sacred power granted to us all! If you wear the Hero's tunic," his leaf face pinched in sorrow, "you should train in order to store more magic inside of you." The Korok held a little wooden pitcher, filled with pale green light; he waved dismissively at the other Koroks. "Here, this will refill your measly magic meter."

Accepting the jar shoved roughly in his hands, Link stared at the glowing aurora playing within wooden confines. Confused, he sheepishly pointed to the jar and asked, "Do I drink this or?" Clamping, he turned rigid when the Korok whipped around, screwing two beady eyes in him.

"Drink?" The forest child disbelievingly echoed. "How can you drink light?"

_Good point,_ Link concurred.

The Korok did not answer and growing increasingly disorientated, Link followed him through a dark stretch of tunnel, arms fastened around the magic jar. Fireflies waltzed through vines, weaving light through the leafy tunnel. When the duo emerged on the other side, Link's eyes fell on the majestic ocean. Moonlight churned the waves and they in turn crashed against rocks, against the docks and swirled in the vortex nearby.

"Forbidden Woods." Arms temporarily slacking from the wooden vessel cradled to his chest, Link licked his lips, squinting at a foreboding tangle of trees cropping from the horizon. Shadows flooded the forest and malevolent hisses skimmed his ears. "So...back to my earlier question," Link faced the Korok, "what do I do with this?" He indicated the magic jar.

The mini cyclone raging across the sea orbited Forest Haven and now it circled, dangerously close to Link. "You absorb it, like you absorb light." The Korok snapped. "I don't think you get enough Vitamin D child," Link's fingers tightened, digging through a crack in the wood, "you are as pale as whale fat, pathologically pale." The Korok snorted. "When you are done rescuing Makar, come visit our village. We Koroks make the best potions in the entirety of the Great Sea."

Link popped the perforated top and the aurora gushed out. Lime green beams danced across his face and the lightshow stopped. "Don't feel anything different," he mumbled under his breath and flexed his fingers. "You craft superb potions," Link agreed; the cyclone whipped past and he glared at it, tracking minutes and its rotation cycle in his head. "But I'm more interested in the poisons," the corner of his lip lifted in a knowing grin when the Korok stiffened. "I would like a jar of the most potent one when I get back."

The Korok dipped his head. "Children should not play with poison." Link glowered at the forest child and readied the Deku Leaf above his head, if the counted correctly; he could float over to the Forbidden woods before the cyclone cut through him. "What are you doing?" the Korok questioned crisply when Link crouched at the edge. "You won't make it riding on the air currents alone."

Frowning, Link paused, the waves bashed against the rocks far below, crushing driftwood into splinters. "How should I get there?" he questioned.

They heard the mini cyclone coming, a furious roar of wind and water and Cyclos' misplaced wrath. "Easy, you float, catch the updraft of the cyclone," the Korok pointed with a stick and the blood drained from Link's face, "and it will boost you all the way to a safe platform jutting out of the Forbidden Woods."

"I'm sorry, but _what?_" Link wheezed and the leaf lowered, hanging limply by his side, "you want me to ride...A cyclone?"

* * *

**A/N:** Link commits murder most foul. All the stresses heaped on the guy finally cracked him. As a remainder, don't be like him, though, I suppose the Midna does not make anything easier. Toxic people sucks, stay away from them.

Please read and review, constructive criticism and ideas are always appreciated

At cutecutie331: Yes, WW Link and TP Link switched bodies. Thanks for the review and kind words, hope the story lives up to your expectations.

Much thanks to Heisenbee for liking the story. Brownies to everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Parasitic nature**

For a long time, human and Korok stared at each other, the cyclone sliced past them, wind biting and cold.

The forest child patiently explained again, "Yes, I am afraid it is the only way, you float mid-way to the Forbidden Woods and catch the cyclone's updraft, it will provide much needed aid to land safely, otherwise, you will crush yourself on the thorny bark making up the underside of the woods." He commented on the futility of the other routes and finally rotated to the human. "You are looking paler than usual, are you alright?"

Swallowing, Link shook his head absentmindedly and changed it to a half nod. "There is a first time for everything I suppose," he muttered, more to himself than the Korok.

As he launched, twig legs dangling in the air, the Korok called after him. "Make sure the turbulence doesn't upset your stomach, most first timers throw up!"

Link groaned, already hating the journey. The gale buffeted him, nature's plaything. Counting the seconds under his breath, he fought to keep his eyelids open when the cyclone roared into view. A twisting shape of violent wind, Link pedaled through the air, praying to sail above and not _through_ it. The first fringes of wind cycled around his legs and tossed him upwards, and his stomach lurched with it.

Over the incensed howling, he picked up a familiar voice:

"You can do it, Link," the King of Red Lion's encouraged from the tunic's pocket and the boy hung weakly, fighting to stay on top of the cyclone.

Another gust shot him skyward and an involuntary yell exploded from his throat; vocal cords announcing terror to anyone willing to listen. Eyes hardening, Link leaned forward, guiding the Deku Leaf to a far off ledge winking with light...and a flock of peahats. The hero shunted sideways, away from the landing when one of the monsters veered close, fluttering on organic rotor blades. Cursing fluently, Link let one hand go and he tilted sideways. His stomach complained. Scrabbling desperately, his fingers tightened on the grappling hook and he threw it at the chasing peahat. With a defiant howl, he pulled himself on course just as the Deku Leaf stopped glowing.

Out of magic.

The tempest pushed his exhale back into his lungs. He fell, arms rotating, teeth grinding, fingers outstretched.

Reaching for a tiny purchase on the ledge.

Fingers, bleeding, hooked on a tangle of vines and Link painstakingly hauled on the platform. When a peahat flew to investigate a miniscule, green tinted menace, it found itself missing an eye, a flying appendage and lastly, its life. Kicking its remains off the ledge, Link unsteadily swayed to his feet. He carefully stored the Deku Leaf inside his bag and his legs buckled from underneath him.

Bending, he frantically scooped a hollow in the earthy passage and vomited. Pawing his backpack, Link retrieved a bottle of potion and after rinsing his mouth, drowned the pale blue contents in one gulp. Energy revitalized, he fisted the pirate's charm from his back pocket and inspected the stone, lying innocently in a knot of brown rope.

Holding the charm at an arm's length, he cleared his throat and the noise echoed in the tunnels. "Status report," Link faltered, hunting for a suitable announcement in his head; for as long as he lived, he never reported to anyone.

The hero followed his instincts and the destiny mapped by the Goddesses.

"Status report?" The stone lit up and he jerked, inwardly relieved when no one saw him. "I don't want a status report boy do I look like a commanding officer to you?" the King of Red Lions snorted and a tiny smile grew on Link's face. "Tell me what happened, I heard you screaming. And you don't scream unless the end of the world is nigh, or some unfortunate soul mistakenly referred to you as a child." Link listened and scooped dirt over his regurgitated lunch. "You are inside the Forbidden Woods I take it?" the figurehead asked and Link paused, freshly scrutinizing the stone. "I can't see anything but I sense warped energy. The woods are dying, taken over by a gigantic parasite known as Kalle Demos," the boat solemnly informed, "be careful."

Ruminating on the information, Link related his messy journey. "I felt weak when one of the Korok told me that I should ride a cyclone to get to the Forbidden Woods." Stomach acid stirred and he irritably glowered at his belly to simmer down. "And when I managed to get here, I threw up..." For a moment, Link detached from his surroundings and wondered why he told personal grievances to a creaking boat. "Otherwise I'm fine. Thank you for the information, I shall tread carefully from now on."

"Be careful," the boat stressed one last time, "and one other thing, you might want to keep your opinions about the Hero of Time to yourself. The people of the Great Sea lack faith, it is regrettable."

The cyan glow ebbed and darkness flooded the tunnel. Link turned the stone over in his hand, a question dying on his tongue. Why did the people not show an interest in the Hero of Time? The Korok outright expressed disdain or indifference.

Did nobody care what the man sacrificed to usher in a new era of peace?

_Apparently, not._

Heady damp and glowing insects perfused the dungeon. The chattering of bugs grated on Link's nerves but they provided a welcoming distraction from the utter mess inside the woods. Digging the tip of his sword under a thick bundle of tendrils, Link tore them off, a splash of green goo covered his fingers and he shook his hands free from the worst of the fluid. A smooth expanse of stone lay under the obtrusive vines.

Surprise melting into resolve, he cleared the tightly adhering vines from an archway. Yellow granite formed a half circle over a rotting wooden door and Link blasted the door apart with a well-placed kick and collapsed on the floor, nursing his throbbing knee. He marched to the splintered pieces of wood and ran grimy hands over it. A motif flowered beneath his fingers and triumphantly, he dragged the top piece of the door to puddle of orange light cast by a torch and examined the carving.

The motif showed flowers and vines crawling over a sigil in the middle and although the circle, nestled neatly in two other, bigger crescents appeared very familiar, Link could not recall where he saw them. In a history book somewhere, he concluded and tossed the remains. Lungs demanding oxygen, the hero skipped over tall grasses and switched directions in midstride when a gigantic nut ensnared his attention. Studying a nearby door, tangled shut by a growing parasite, Link backtracked. The nut weighed next to nothing and holding it above his head, he waded through the grass and hurled the nut at the glowing parasite.

Emitting an accursed hiss, the parasite shriveled, and the door, jammed shut, opened with a creak. Stabbing the glaring, parasitic eye for good measure, Link slunk through the door and scooted behind a bush. Jet black eyes swept over the new chamber, noting fallen leaf piles and navy blue veins wriggling in the earth.

Keeping his back to the tree trunk, Link sloshed through the vegetation, sending insects scampering for their homes. Sweat beaded his forehead and his fingers itched intolerably. Pulling a faded map from his tunic, he studied the barely legible print. After poring over it a few minutes, he shredded the map. The Forbidden Woods constantly evolved and a century year old map will only lead him astray. Trees and leaves brushed against him, adding their moisture to his own. Gasping for air, Link pushed through a thick curtain of vines and angrily swatted a fly resting on his cheek. Immediately, a red lump bloomed on his face and he scratched till it bled.

Smacking a potion soaked plaster on the bug bite; Link warily inched around the parasitic vines and stumbled over a hedge jutting out of the earth. His head collided with the boarder of rough grass and met with a sickening crack.

"Hell," he mumbled and furiously scraped the grass, what sort of vegetation cracked bones? Underneath the carpet of dark green, his hand brushed masonry. Tugging, he detached a smooth grey brick and held it up.

Yellow granite...Blocks of cinder.

Wooden door with a mysterious sigil.

Entrance leading to little circular spaces...Huts?

Laughing at the absurdity of his conclusions, Link toyed with the cinderblock, stashing it away for later use. From inside his sack, he pulled out the Deku Leaf and used it to fan himself and keep his tingling hands busy. Nearing a leaf pile, he dug through the rotting leaves. The noise prompted a few monsters to swing to his direction and he warned them back with a sharp whistle of his sword. Still busy with the pile and frustration bubbling in his head, the hero seized hold of his Deku Leaf and waved it. A flutter of dark brown, moldy leaves blew away, revealing a lump. Link grimaced when brown muck added another stain around his fingernails but the joy of discovery, pushed such concerns away.

A little bronze key gleamed in his hands along with an unidentified object. Turning it over and over, he ran a ragged nail over the dirt encrusted surface and spared a second to lament the condition of his nails.

Poor whoever owned this body. If the boy returned, the scars and split nails may horrify him.

"..."

Half an hour of scratching dirt off the mysterious object rewarded him with a shape.

The thing hidden under the leaf pile and a home to colony of tiny ants, which Link stomped all over, turned out to be a fruit bowl.

Slightly disheartened, he tossed the fruit bowl over his shoulder and expertly nailed a dexivine. The parasite hissed vengeance and lunged for Link, sword still in hand, he whisked around and lopped the top half of the vine. He smirked, twirled the sword and buried it in its sheath.

* * *

Lighting the parasites on fire produced dramatic results. After entering another curved enclosure, guarded zealously by a hoard of light blue, angry parasites, Link groped around, found a dead torch and hunted for kindling. Outside, he broke the cinderblock, located a patch of dry grass and rubbed the two stones against each other till a spark flew and ignited the patch. Backing when heat seared his face, Link lighted a bokostick and clutching his cap, streaked all the way into the darkened room and lighted the previously dead torch.

Fire illuminated a tangle of parasites sitting smugly atop a chest. Mouth curling into a victorious simper, Link advanced with his torch and the eye embedded in the parasite jerked left and right. Savoring the fear oozing from the sentient vine, the boy touched the fiery end of the stick to the vegetation and the flames hungrily licked all over. It blazed bright, turned into a bruised orange and flared into cobalt blue. Hypnotized by the riveting display, Link put out the torch and inspected the miraculously intact chest.

A giant padlock mocked him.

Pulling the rusted lock did nothing. Hitting it with his sword caused the blade to dull and spark.

Rust flaked when he clobbered it with the cinderblock, and the brick broke into rubble. Teeth clenched, Link kicked the chest and pain flared in his knee. Swallowing the bitter taste of bile, he struck again. The wood parted to let his skinny leg through and dust puffed into the gloom. A crown of splinters dug in his calf and he yanked his leg upwards, creating a bigger hole. Wincing and carefully removing the splinters, Link rolled up his tights, washed his shin with alcohol and turned to examine the contents of the trunk.

It gave him a map, more archaic than the one he shredded; and a letter; parchment stained with patches of fungus eating the words. Lifting the letter, Link squinted at the spidery handwriting and slowly read the ancient words:

_Dear Link_

His heart hammered in his chest.

_Link? _

The Hero of Time?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Dreamless residue**

The ghost knelt, regal in defeat. One knee cratered the snow and the other remained upright. Its face, roughly a meter away, betrayed no emotion and agonizingly, Link's gaze pulled to the blue hilt embedded in the specter's chest.

Quashing the guilt threatening to overwhelm him, the adolescent hugged his knees and buried his head in folded arms. Regret chained him.

Regret, the bitter ache of loneliness and the burden of saving the world.

"You made a mistake," he croaked in a voice not entirely his. "I told you, I'm no hero. I'm only twelve years old, I set out to save my sister who got snatched up by a giant bird," he related, his deep voice clashing with his sniffles. "The monster is called the Helmarock King. Just thinking about it makes me scared." He wrapped his arms around himself. "I don't know what to do, I didn't...I didn't mean to." The words refused to articulate, instead, they stuck into his throat, strangling him. "I think you are horrible, but I never meant to kill you."

Silence accompanied his anguished crying. Quiet sobs wracked his body and the snow cradling him, burned his senses.

"I want to go back home," Link whispered, tears glistened a horizontal line across his nose-bridge and frost bloomed on his cheeks. "She promised, but I don't think she can take me home." His eyes flickered to where the ghost kneeled, a mute spectator to his pain. Crawling to his hands and knees, Link bowed deeply to the ghost. "The Master Sword," he sniffed, "sorry but I must have it back."

Ghostly blue fingers wrapped the hilt and smoothly slid it from between ribcages. The silver blade whipped outwards, tapered point digging in Link's right cheek. Eyes widening to the size of twin moons, Link registered a warm trickle down his previously numbed cheek and watched, not quite believing, as the specter straightened, resting the sword on warm flesh. Ironically, it did not hurt. Rearing to his full height, an impressive _almost_ two meters by Link's skewed standards; the specter trained its glowing, crimson eye at the quivering male goggling at him.

"You are twelve?" the ghost asked and Link nodded dumbly. "So what? I was _eight_ when they accused me of murdering my foster father, the Great Deku Tree." The shade thundered.

"Your foster father was a...Tree?" Fright momentarily morphing into a pitied snigger, Link disguised his giggle with a cough. "...R-rough childhood I think?"

"Rough?" The ghost pulled back much to Link's relief and the Master Sword hung limply by his side. "I did not have a rough childhood, my destiny was written long before I came into being. I fulfilled it to the best of my abilities; yet...regret keeps me alive. I feel I can impart my wisdom to some other and all I get for my efforts is a _sniveling_ brat who keeps running away from his duties. Do you think I care if you are twelve? You have a healthy body; use it!" he ranted and threw the sword at Link who caught it after a slice to his palm. "Hear carefully shrimp, I was four whole years younger than you and the only thing I grumbled about was my over talkative companion!" Irritably, the specter drew his sword. "I perfected these techniques and I shall beat them into your memory, I care less if you want it or not."

The nightmare, reanimated, crushed Link's protests. Forcing back tears and the inclination to turn and flee (how does one flee from this realm?) the hero reluctantly bent to the ghost's orders and followed them. Mind empty.

Heart dulled.

A doll without intention.

Many harrowing hours later, Link mastered the back slice. His fingers cramped, dried blood scored lines on his palm and his face resembled a jigsaw of bruises. Solemnly sheathing the blade, he bowed to the ghost, suffered a backache and turned to leave.

"Wait," the shade commanded.

Exhaling, the human halted, balking when the accursed spirit alighted a hair breadth away from him. The rusted sword and moss caked shield vanished to Jabun knew where and Link breathed the coffin cold breath radiating from the ghost.

Arms raised, the bronze armored spirit fastened ice cold fingers on Link's cheeks and a cold tingle raced down his spine. "You must," the apparition began, "face the darkness within you before it completely consumes you." A blood red eye roved over Link. "You must," the words fanned over Link's face, "meet him in the Water Temple." A heavy pause as the phantom struggled to unearth buried memories. "The Lakebed Shrine, situated underwater as of now." Breath rattled in its chest. "I can taste darkness festering inside of you." Link scowled, he tried to snap his face to the left but the shade kept a firm, freezing grip. "Meet your darkness; meet it and triumph over it. Only then, will you be able to do the things you destined to."

Gritting his teeth, the human spat. "I don't have darkness growing inside of me, I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much!"

The grip intensified, needles poking in his face. "None of us..." the ghost and its realm flickered, "are above darkness." A finger brushed Link's cheek and the ancient spirit stepped away. "The brighter a flame, the larger a shadow it casts..."

_Remember._

Legs devoid of sensation, Link collapsed, eyes rolling upwards. Under hooded lids, he observed the realm shifting and melting. Squares broke and reality manifested in the dream space. Fighting unconsciousness, he registered the bloated abdomen form of Midna and his lips quirked into a half smile. So she waited for after all.

Comforting darkness pressed all around him and Link caved into the quietude.

* * *

The lake water, a clear crystal blue, reflected two individuals arguing on its banks. A skin tight, ornamental tunic lay on the grass while a demon and a human raged back and forth. Fed up with the human's shenanigans, Midna extended her hair and tugged on Link's mutilated earlobe sadistically. Pouting, Link crammed the last of the fish patties in his mouth and eyed the Zora tunic, its gold bits winking under the sun. He snatched the map from Midna and held it upside down, much to her private delight. Stabbing a finger in the middle of the lake, at an area shaded by purple, he looked up, pushing his bottom lip against his top.

"I don't care if you look like a wounded doggy," Midna drawled, "but the Temple is underwater and the tunic spares you the breathing nuisances, so I suggest you wear it and dive, I don't care if you look like a mutated Zora." She pointed a turquoise veined finger at the clothing. "What did the ghost say? You must find your darkness and defeat it? I advise you to heed his call." Her teasing tone assumed a sharp edge and Link hung his head. "Follow the spirit's advice; they know what is good for you."

Fumbling with his belt and snatching his cap off, Link folded them neatly, watching Midna from the corner of his eye. "You don't believe him do you?" he asked, tone accusing. "You don't believe the nonsense about darkness growing inside me do you?" he pleaded, momentarily fixated on the imp, "because that is not true, I would never let darkness take over me," he lifted his hand, "I have the Triforce of Courage, it is only granted to pure people, right?" he questioned desperately.

"...Darkness comes in many forms, greed for example." The Twilli checked her nails as Link jolted. "The desire to possess the completed Triforce is an expression of darkness." Link opened his mouth for a counterargument and Midna bared teeth. "Human, you have no idea what forces are at play here. Extreme hardships may drive an individual to excessive lengths." Her saffron eye misted with memories. "All of us have vices and those we must tame." Link regarded her skeptically. "Now, I suggest you put on the tunic and dive in the lake before I choke the life out of you and hurl you in there myself." She clapped her hands. "Get moving."

Tugging the hem of his tunic, the adolescent's cheeks tinted pink and the imp raised a questioning eyebrow. "Everyone will see me naked," he mumbled, pointing to the open plains and Midna's mouth curled into an amused smile. "It's not funny! Only Grandma and Aryll can see me," he paused, "and you I guess, being an old demon and all...Ouch!"

Link rubbed his pulsing cheek and scowled. He crouched near a white boulder and checked himself, making sure the square imprint of muscles stayed on his stomach and abdomen before wearing the Zora tunic. The material fitted snugly, melding over his toned figure.

"It's scary how well it fits me." He emerged from the shadows. "I mean, how did they know my measurements?" he asked, words muffled.

Overhead, a kingfisher twittered a reply.

Cutting a line through the water, Link swam to the indicated place. He rotated in circles, enjoying the feel of the sun and waves.

Weightless.

Free.

Fixating on the mission, the hero wrestled the iron boots on his feet and like dead weight, sunk to the bottom. Sand rose from the lakebed, clouding the water and Link darted forward, the torch on his forehead illuminating everything into sharp relief. Thin obelisks of stone, carved with helixes, stood on either sides of the temple entrance. Underwater, the world tinted into shades of blue and green. Feet kicking, Link pulled and pushed on the door, however, barnacles and swollen wood, forced it shut. Scratching his head, he searched for another weak spot to enter but water only hardened the outer stone shell of the magnificent shrine.

Growing bored, Link tried picking the barnacles and clearing the outer walls of moss. Kelp hung like limp streamers, fluttering when currents passed through them. Shooting off to explore, he happily dug around the base for treasure and indeed, the sand rewarded him.

Under the white beam of his torch, coral, whittled into rose shapes, glowed pale pink. Gold coins and polished bits of hard, brilliant blue stone glittered in his palms. Pocketing them all, Link excavated Zora jewelry; mother of pearl earrings, (he wondered how Midna would look wearing them) and necklaces of pearls, their surfaces pockmarked like the moon.

"Do I need to remind you we are on a quest here?" The imp's cruel snark forced him to abandon treasure hunting and swim for the temple. "And before you spout nonsense about the door not opening, have you tried bombing it? Those water bombs are not for your entertainment, pardon me when I shatter your delusions." She cackled wildly till Link purposefully bashed his head against an outcropping of rock and the demon silenced.

What do you know? He mused, smacking his head did render her mute.

An underwater geyser roared seconds before Link swam to the entrance. Backpedalling furiously, he gasped, bubbles escaping his mask and heart bouncing rapidly. _Holy_ _Deku Tree_, the scalding water could roast him alive! Circling uncertainly, he pulled back when another stream of boiling water poured from a vent in the lakebed. Gulping, Link retrieved a precious water bomb and threw it, to his dismay; the spray of water detonated it far above the target location.

Each try forced his bomb supply to dwindle. Arms aching, Link stared at his last water bomb and determinedly eyed the door.

This time he will make it.

Or not.

Lowering the bomb, he glared at the geyser and a sudden idea struck him, grinning, he activated the bomb, and placed it on the vent. Kicking away, he held his breath and crossed his fingers.

The bomb flashed red.

The pulsations increased in intensity, a blinking hazard and Link prayed under his breath.

A quite snigger announced the presence of Midna, alive and kicking in his head.

The bomb rumbled and he covered his eyes, refusing to see another failed attempt, right before it exploded, the geyser erupted, propelling the shell to the entrance. It detonated and a shockwave of water sent Link crashing into coral. Yelling gleefully, he swam through the recently opened entranceway, narrowly avoiding a chunk of falling rock.

Cowardice had its merits, Midna considered as the human expertly navigated through a closed tunnel of water and avoided all the enemies within.

Gliding skillfully, Link shunted through forests of seaweed, twirling to get the tangled remains off. Twice, electrified bari chased him, their jellyfish tops bouncing in anticipation but he brushed past, without touching their sparking tendrils. Reaching a giant, natural cave, Link surfaced and removed the goggles, rubbing at the circles created by rubber.

"We are inside," he announced and stared, jumping when a plop of water echoed in the cavern. "It smells of damp," he complained and pinched his nose, "and I thought this was supposed to be a sacred Temple? Why is it so cavey?" Flippered feet squelched, leaving wet footprints on the floor and the hero inched forward, eyes peeled for danger.

Colorful seashells created a mosaic on the floor and walls, but the splendor did not impress Link, instead, he ran freezing hands over the gates separating the rooms and passages and his eyes shone in the bioluminescence lighting the Lakebed Temple.

"Its real bone!" he exclaimed to Midna. "Look," he pointed for emphasis, "this thick one making the frame of the gate is a whale bone, this one," he indicated a looping circle inside the framework, "is an eel skeleton, see all the joints there? They are these long, snake-like creatures and smoked eel tastes…ugh," he prattled and bent to examine the lock. "And this is...is a kraken skull!" Link bellowed, excitedly hopping from foot to foot, "it's much bigger but they cut it and inlaid it with oyster shells to make it smaller and look nicer." He twisted the lock and it came apart in his hands. "This is really old."

"Enough with the lessons, I suggest you save your breath for when you have to face the darkness inside you." Midna announced and the spark in Link's eyes died. "I am _positively_ delighted to see you taking such an interest in this Temple," the Twilli deadpanned, "however, keep a straight head, you always run out of steam when faced with a monster."

Exhaling noisily, Link whined silently. He sniped most enemies from afar however, when the monsters demanded personal attention, the sword did not move according to his instructions. The blade sliced shadow, and anger clouded his vision. Those with metal shells drove him to the point of insanity and he resorted to beating his blade on them repeatedly till Midna screamed at him to stop.

The Temple foyer, promptly dubbed as the staircase room, completely confounded Link as he endured insults to his intelligence (he wasn't _that_ dumb...Grandma said so) and timidly obeyed Midna's barking commands. Even after numerous explanations of which switch did what, he did not grasp the complexities. Pulling one experimentally, and behind the cursed imp's back, Link feigned innocence and scooted as far as possible from the overhanging lever when the staircase rotated and climbed another level, taking the demon with it. Flashing a set of pearly white teeth, Link waved and retreated into a narrow corridor while Midna shouted at him to stay put.

Free from her demanding clutches, he roamed; hands fastened behind his back and paused when a lizalfos cut into his vision.

Lost the god damned imp for good.

Link swore, cheeks flushing in shame.

He swore a second time, feeling like an adult. Spinning away from the lizalfos, he traced a path in the opposite direction and resolved to return to the surface, to resume his hunt for the remaining Triforce. According to Midna, he faltered; she probably unleashed her terror and demonic hair weapon-thing on the local architecture, the soon to be Queen of Hyrule, some lady by the name of Zelda, held the Triforce of Wisdom. Link absentmindedly touched the little triangle on the back of his hand. It looked like tattoo. Rotating his arms and enjoying his newfound freedom and purpose, he dashed through corridors damp with water and slippery from algae. The flippers on his feet squished, an invitation to potential monsters. Stealthily shuffling along the walls, he fisted the Gale boomerang and the Hero's bow while the sword bore heavily on his back.

A herd of young helmasaur converged, their grunts drumming in Link's ears. Keeping them in sight, he sidled past; praying, hoping they keep their attention fixated on themselves instead of turning around and spotting a lost human. Half-way through, Link cringed at the dent of screeching metal. Bile rising in his throat, he witnessed one of the helmasaurs turn, its mouth dripping with intestines and blood.

The monster and human stared at each other for a heartbeat.

And the helmasaur squealed.

The herd broke. With a collective, ear splitting screech, they dove for Link and he peeled off the wall, hurtling to safety. Their metal shells flashed in the faint, lazuline light and not daring to scream, lest Midna find him, Link zigzagged through floors worn smooth by water. Tiles of coral and gems blurred past, and he barely appreciated their beauty, too preoccupied with losing the blood thirsty herd on his tail. Tears sprung to his eyes.

How did this happen?

Cutting a corner, he stumbled to a closed door. The passage behind him, thundered. Grasping at straws, Link crouched and wedged his fingers underneath the stone door. A relief tile, embossed with seashells, glinted in the light cast by a torch and he struggled valiantly. Muscles screamed, the door shifted upward an inch. Desperately, Link pushed harder, the gate shot up and he clamped a hand on his upper right arm, where he pulled a muscle. Agonizing pain washed over his body, sweat drenched his forehead. Breathing heavily, he limped several paces and broke into a run when the monsters behind him shrieked.

Turning left, he froze, two lizalfos, startled from guard duty, fumbled for their spears.

Inwardly shrieking, Link jerked right, packed earth gave way to yellow stone and a tunnel leading to Jabun knew where.

Mist gathered at his feet and Link panted, a hand clamped on his throbbing muscle. The monster hoard fell away and the fleeting victory diminished when he surveyed the place.

"Where am I?" Link's voice trembled, "how did I get here?" Darkness pooled at the end of a semi-circular tunnel and he swallowed thickly. Stepping inside the tunnel, he brushed his hand across the damp wall.

Chest tightening at the ominous cloud of fog beckoning to the great unknown, Link slid down the curve of the passage and propped his chin on his knees.

Lost.

Alone.

Afraid.

Tears slid, unwanted and fast down his face and he sniffed, wiping them roughly on the tunic sleeve, the decorative hand-guard caught him under the nose and he sneezed. The sound echoed, drowning all other whispers. Afraid, Link shot to his feet, boomerang raised to deal with threats, when none emerged from the foggy tunnel, he sniffed again and squared his shoulders, with no Midna to dictate his actions, it was up to him to do everything. Searching for the exit could be harrowing, but surely the monumental Lakebed Temple, with its confusing, gold gilded, overhanging switches, _must have_ more than one exit, right?

The walls did not reply.

Biting back a complaint when his muscle throbbed, Link tossed the ivory boomerang and the mist parted, quickly, he tottered through and the fog closed like a curtain behind him. Crawling to a stop at the edge of a ledge, his mouth fell open when the mist thinned to show him gigantic gears suspended on thick, metal poles. Underneath, a series of circular platforms, tethered to chains, swayed. Link bravely peered over the ledge and rushing water, studded with tapered rocks, leered at him. Licking his too dry lips, he clenched his teeth, took a running leap and swung on the nearest platform. It titled under his weight and Link flailed, fighting for balance.

Mind blanked, he grabbed the chain and jumped to the second one, shutting his eyes as he flew through the damp air and landed with a thud. Another tunnel, cut into the rock face, embraced him and Link emerged into a gigantic cave filled with lime green water and rocky platforms.

Gulping in air, he lunged for the nearest mossy platform, wrapped in pink, questionable vines and scrabbled for the edge.

The edge failed him by more than half a meter and suddenly, Link slipped.

And fell.

"It's okay," he sobbed, "I'm a swimmer, I lived on an island in the ocean, I have powerful lungs." Tears stubbornly appeared, mocking his effort to remain courageous and the Triforce tattoo mocked him from the back of his left hand. The icy grip of the water lay below and he giggled at the irony. A watery death, fit for a boy living on an island. The giggles twitched to full-blown, maniacal laughter and the echo and re-echo of his hoarse, panicked voice masked the tell-tale signs of a hissing geyser.

A plume of water, bearing a small platform of stone, shot out of the lakebed and smacked into the falling human, catapulting him into the air. Laughter abruptly silenced, Link held on the sides of the ledge and half crouched, ready to spring to safety. To his relief, the geyser reached its peak and gushed for a full minute before collapsing.

By then, Link lay on a sturdy platform, stifling giggles each time he recalled his brush with death.

Standing atop a grand staircase and in a chamber lined with once white stone, Link ogled the _switch_ above his head and forcefully marshaled curious hands to his sides. He studied the silver of ruby inlaid in the handle. "Midna told me not to do anything unnecessary," he muttered and a sly grin shaped his face, "but she's not here anymore so I'm free to do whatever I want!"

Crowing triumphantly, he jumped and grabbed the yellow handle, it disengaged with a satisfying click. The mechanisms lined on the wall rotated. A whale bone gate lifted from a decorative niche and water gushed through, falling into the groove constructed skillfully by the temple builders. Whooping, Link dove into the shallow pool of water and slid back to the waterwheel. The wheels turned, cutting light into momentary slices of shadow and he leaned forward, determined. When he spied a triangle of the outside, Link shot forward and scooted through the space.

A delegation of chuworms, safe in their bubbles of water, scattered when he arrived and twittered threats. Grinning, Link wiped water from his face and followed the channels all the way to the staircase room.

Blanching, he hastily backtracked; Midna could be waiting for him.

* * *

Oscillating between periods of ambition and aimless wandering, Link explored the demolished sections of the temple, where stone rubbed away into cave walls and pockets of water. Here, he delightfully whiled his time, threading seaweed, searching for buried secrets, funny shaped lumps of rock and an exit to the world above. Coral grew plentiful, housing an ecosystem of both friendly and poisonous fish. Marveling at the bright stripes, but keeping clear of them, Link regarded his growling stomach and kicked out of the tunnel of water. Surfacing, he pushed his goggles on his head and rummaged through a waterproof bag.

Nothing; the evil witch kept all the food to herself.

Sighing, fierce determination seized hold of Link. Find food. Or in this case, edible fish, dry grass for kindling, logs for burning and a metal spit for roasting. The Lakebed Temple was not stingy with floor space, he thought and his shoulders drooped.

Sturgeon and Orca hammered the rules of the wild inside his head but _clearly_ they did not prepare for all types of situations. Pouting, Link kicked a pebble and it skipped, hitting a red, coral tiled wall. They have _no idea_ how scarce wood was at the bottom of a lake.

Spirits lifted, he occupied his mind by concocting a lecture inside his head.

In it, he visualized himself back in Sturgeon's home, with pamphlets tacked on the walls and eerie specimens floating in glass jars. Sitting on a three legged stool, Link taught the brothers how to survive an underwater temple cave-place where one salvaged wood from rotting doorframes and seaweed did not act as an appropriate substitute for kindling.

Chuckling quietly, Link approached a corridor, pushing his face against a lattice of hard substance to peer at the room beyond. A circular chamber, lit by the jade bioluminescence coating the walls, stretched. Letting go of the grill, he rang a finger over it.

Rough and scratchy, not bone.

Hard...clearly not rubber, nor cement. Giving it an experimental bite, he grimaced.

Sponge.

Dead, calcified sea sponge.

Teeth stuck in pores, Link gingerly worked his face free and checked his teeth. Intact. _Good_. Eying his boomerang and arrows, he moaned and reached for the sword. The blade cut the air with a dull whistle as he brought it down on the grate. The sponge did not crumble. Stepping back, Link hacked his sword on the lattice of dirty white. Each time pain flared in his arm, he rested and paused to wipe the sweat pooling on his face. The calcified sponge withered under the might of determined swinging and satisfied, Link sheathed the Master Sword.

He entered the conduit, darkness, interspersed with ripples of faint light, played across his body and the hero emerged in a clearing. Water lapped his ankles and his eyes rolled upwards into his skull. Unseeing, he sensed a shift in scenery and when his irises returned to their proper places, he stared at an entirely different place.

A tree, stripped bare, grew on a tiny island of sand jutting from the calm surface of the water. When Link waded, the ripples did not extend past flippered feet. An individual reclined in the naked branches of the tree and enthusiastic, Link ran to meet the person.

Milky eyes crinkled in savage delight.

The shadow jumped down, popping the joints in his neck and the human came to a breathless stop. He started jabbering and pointed fervently.

Asking, _pleading_ for help.

"...and so I got stuck here with no one and I'm really hungry," Link's stomach agreed with a growl, "and I have a demon...Twilli waiting for me in the staircase room and I _need_ a way out so I can look for the Triforce." He clapped a palm to his mouth. "You weren't supposed to hear that," Link whispered and the individual, cloaked in black from head to toe, turned around. "Oh," the human swallowed, "you look...you look." His voice pitched, the beginnings of hysteria. "Like me," Link fought to remain calm, "you are..."

Link's shadow smiled, the cruel tilt of his lips conveying hate and need.

"You are _me_...the darkness growing inside me."

Chest heaving, Link studied his counterpart. Black and grey and pearl white screwed into a face. Need and despair and loneliness wafted off him. A stench too much to bear.

"I must defeat you," Link recalled the shade's words. "Then only, I will be able to do the things I want." An arm mechanically veered for the sword and he hesitated when the darkness shadowed his movements. "Stop copying me!" Link puffed and jumped backwards, pulling his boomerang with a smooth flick. "I'm going to bury you so far under; you'll regret ever showing your ugly head!" he screamed and tossed a gale on still waters. To his astonishment, the shadow did the same. The two tornadoes stormed past each other and the dark swirl of dead leaves smacked into Link; the shadow simply side-stepped the vibrant gust of wind as it dissipated. "I'm not done yet!" Link hollered and ripped the chamber with tornadoes. With each mirrored flick, his stomach sunk.

Time for a more aggressive approach.

Using a windstorm to shield him, Link drew his bow and arrow, crouching against the wall for maximum stealth, he let an arrow fly and instantaneously, an arrow shaft sang, its tail quivering mere millimeters from his head. Shuffling to the right, Link fired another arrow and ducked when a glinting arrowhead nearly cleaved his eyeball.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he tracked the dark shape; the wind thinned and revealed the shadow standing right opposite him. When Link raised his bow to fire, the darkness copied.

The sword.

Midna said it was dangerous for dark creatures like her. Tucking the bow away, Link pulled the sword and shield and warily circled his obviously skilled opponent. He feinted to the right and dropped into the back slice, still fresh in his mind. Unfortunately, the shadow twisted, blocked the incoming slice and parried with an intricate move of its own.

Kind of looked like the back slice, Link contemplated, as a nonexistent breeze toyed with the edges of his torn tunic.

_It does whatever I do..._

Inhaling deeply, Link screeched and abandoned all tactics. He raised the sword to clobber and his arm jarred when a heavy blow met his weapon. "Why isn't it working!?" Link demanded and swept his blade sideways, only to meet steely resistance. "You. Are. Supposed. To. Vanish. In. The. Presence. Of the sword. So go away!" He punctuated his sentences with thwacks and plunges. "Die. Leave me in peace."

The static face on the shadow twitched.

A grin.

And a sickening pain bloomed in Link's chest.

He fell to his knees; little splashes of water dotted his thighs. Curiously, the wound did not bleed, but the dark sword leeched life from him. Milky eyes conveyed pleasure. Victory. And the shadow pulled the sword, pressing its mouth reverently against the jet black blade.

Link slumped in the water and everything bloomed into grey.

* * *

Tides danced to and fro.

"Look big brother," Aryll pointed to a flock of sea gulls, "those are my favorite birds," she traced a little finger over a picture in her book, "they are called sea gulls." The girl beamed and Link gasped theatrically and energetically clapped his hands.

"You're learning new things every day!" He patted his sister on her blonde, fluffy head. "Soon, you'll know more things than me," Link declared and Aryll tinted pink with pride. "When you are old enough, you can come play with my friends on Dragon Roost Island, Fruit Medli will love you." Link recalled the names of his friends and Aryll twittered in delight. She quizzed him on every single thing and he answered him, tone boastful. "Windfall Island is a trading port." He stealthily sneaked a glance at the house, where Grandma sat in a rocking chair and knit colorful winter scarves. "I get all my coconut pudding from there," Link whispered in Aryll's ear. "When I get older and can sail without Grandma's permission," Link held his little finger out, "I'll take you there myself and buy you whatever you want, but you have to promise me not to tell Grandma or she'll scold me. "Pinky promise?"

Aryll hesitated for half a second before nodding exuberantly and locking her soft pinky with his bony one.

She grinned, sunlight glowing in her eyes. "Pinky promise, big brother Link."

He woke up, arms heavy and chest compressed under a weird weight. Shifting under the makeshift tarp, those Hyrule field winds really bit into skin, Link raised his head to see Midna sleeping on his chest. Blinking, he studied her silently. The imp appeared rather cute when she did not smile like a possessing demon and his eyes narrowed, briefly remembering a snippet of memory in a forest.

"_I want to go home..."_ he distinctly remembered her saying. And no, it was not a trick of the wind.

Link raised his foreign hand and rested against her. Warm. Growing bold, he crossed his arms over her body and when she did not wake up; he exhaled carefully and pressed his cheek against hers.

He closed his eyes.

Warm.

* * *

In the water, Link's eyes snapped. Open but not comprehending. The triangle on his left arm glowed vibrantly and the human stealthily sat up.

Back turned, the shadow did not see the demented smile playing on the human's lips. Thought did not guide Link's actions. Muscle memory did.

Fingers wrapping around the blue hilt, Link rose, pearls of water dripped sluggishly from his body. He charged, grin inching wider at the sight of prey.

And at the taste of victory.

* * *

**A/N:** Remember who you are…for some reason, when I wrote that piece about the Hero's shade lecturing Link, I thought of Mufasa. I think I like writing Link spiraling into despair, it's therapeutic and it certainly puts my despair into perspective.

Anyway, please read and review. Virtual devil's food cake to all.

I'm currently writing exams while the rest of the world is embracing the new year, the new decade. Whoever thought of exams needs to visit a therapist.

At James Birdsong: Thank you for you comment.

Much gratitude to 2ZetaIgnis for liking the story, hope it does not disappoint.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Shattered Glass Prison**

_Link is swapped with a child bearing the same name?_ Midna could see Zelda's eyebrows joining her royal hairline, _perhaps the stress of travelling with him has gotten to you?_ The imp fisted the letter and furiously shook her head. _The Castle Guards trained Link in the art of combat since the sages found him, he displayed great potential with a sword, bow and other weapons; he is also proficient in hand to hand combat. As for his mental and emotional states, the sages trained him to keep calm in stressful situations. Link is brave and courageous_, Midna raised an eyebrow in disbelief,_ We understand travelling long distances in such crippled conditions can affect the most balanced of humans, but we pray you be patient with him._

The imp snorted and stowed the letter in hyperspace, she showed plenty patience to the sniveling man child who currently snored in the shade of an evergreen fir. A snot bubble distended from his nose and popped. He turned, smearing drool across half a tanned face and warbled about food. Fish patties or something along those lines. Midna toyed with her fused shadows, fitting the pieces on the grass and glaring at them.

She closed her eyes and searched the surrounding fields for malicious energy.

Nothing.

Hyrule was cleared of Twilight and with all the fused shadows in her possession, she will wrestle her throne back from the imposter. The thought of Zant prompted bile to rise in her throat and she spat venomously, unleashing her rage on an innocent rock. Behind her, Link twitched, blearily opened one eye and promptly snored seconds after. Leaving the useless human to doze, the Twilli sunned herself. Wisps of smoke bled from her body and hissing, she retreated into cool shadow.

Hyrule however beautiful and wholesome, did not welcome her.

She missed her realm. The world bathed in breathtaking, perpetual twilight.

Gold, orange and grey.

* * *

The shadow sensed malicious intent, he jumped, legs bunched as a sliver blade flashed underneath. Using the sword as a springboard, he back flipped behind Link, drawing his sword and aiming for a slash. Link spun, parried the strike and jumped back.

His breath did not come in gasps; his hands refused to shake.

Warily, the shadow leapt away, hissing in pain when a gleaming sword tip buried in his thigh. Another low growl exploded out of his mouth when the blade sliced across his chest.

Twirling the ivory boomerang in one hand, Link lunged, dug the master sword in a shoulder and swiped across. He backtracked and tossed a windstorm in the clearing.

Clutching a screaming shoulder, the shadow sought the human. He conveyed fear and whipped around, chin barely intact.

The grin on Link's face threatened to split his face in two.

Exchanging blows, the human drove the darkness into a corner; rolling to avoid a fatal plunge to his chest, the shadow broke into a run, boots sloshing through water. Link chased, blade outstretched and menacing. The Master Sword whistled through the air, burying in its target with frightening accuracy; the shadow stumbled, pushed forward and collapsed.

Eyes wide, he gingerly touched the blade protruding from his chest and cowered when the human bore on him.

"Please…don't kill me," he mouthed, hands hanging limply by his side. "I'm a part of you." His lips grew too heavy to move. "One cannot exist...without...the oth-"

Retrieving his blade, Link raised it high up in the air.

And cleaved the shadow's head in half.

The body burst into an ebony cloud and spread outwards. Link stepped back, tensing, eyes swiveling for danger. Grey fog ate the room, gnawing on the skeleton tree. Bit by bit, a lime glow overtook the chamber and Link stood, fingers tightened around the sword, twirling it awkwardly, he buried it in the sheath and sighed.

Fatigue re-claimed him, muscles burned when he moved. Hobbling through a tunnel, Link crumpled in a bigger chamber, back pressed against stone. Cold seeped through the slit in his tunic and he worried about the consequences. Breathing heavily, he unbuckled the sword sheath and laid it across his cross-legged thighs. Slowly, he pulled the Master Sword out, drinking in his reflection on the thin strip of sacred metal.

Laying the scabbard next to him, he reverently pressed his lips on the blade.

"You are not a part of me," he addressed the dead shadow, an uncharacteristic pain aching in his chest. "You are darkness and I'm light. One _cannot_ exist without the other but now you are a small presence in my mind." Pulling his mouth away from the blade, he pushed it back in its sheath and gathered his things. "I won't allow myself to forget you." His eyelids slid shut, remembering the not dream at Lanayru's spring. "You are greed; you hunger for things I cannot get." Link blew a strand of wet hair out of his face and smiled. "Gotta find Midna," he winced, "I'm lost, and I'm getting lost-er"

He ploughed into her when rushing back to the staircase room. Tears of joy gathering at the edge of his eyes, Link opened his arms and dashed headlong for her. Halting, the imp's eyes grew to terrific proportions and before she warped, Link hugged her, rubbing his cheek against her clammy one.

"Midna! I missed you so much," he wailed and she spat an unspeakable curse. "Guess what? I defeated my darkness," he exclaimed and she immediately quieted. "He skewered me with his black blade first and I almost died but then I thought about Aryll and Grandma," he blushed, "and you and something snapped." He paused and the imp regarded him curiously. "It's like I was locked behind the eyes, my body moved on its own."

The imp's lip curled, partway between a smile and a sneer. "Yes," she quipped, "extreme training does that." Midna hesitated, contemplating Zelda's letter. _Patience_. She wiped Link's tears and he smiled childishly. "Not bad progress for an incompetent human." She grinned callously, but instead of taking offense, Link nodded in agreement. "Hmph, can't say I'm happy to have the bumbling child back but it's preferable to the snapping monster you were becoming." The human sadly traced the bite scars on Midna's forearm and lounging on his shoulder, Midna dropped a mechanical device in his arms. "The clawshot, I got it for you by defeating a-" her expression morphed into disgust, "-a Deku toad, the thing licked me." Sniggering Link examined the clawshot and accidentally triggered it. The arrowhead detached, splaying a length of chain, and clanged against a bone gate on the far end. "Don't drop it; this once belonged to the previous hero."

Nodding, Link moved according to Midna's instructions. "I wonder what the previous hero was like." He pondered and spied a red target. "He must've been a really awesome guy."

Somewhere in the vast lands of Hyrule, a wolf, golden pelt glimmering under the moon, hacked up a fur ball.

* * *

Shivering, Link surfaced from a pond and flinched when monsters clamped jaws on his bottom. Grumbling, he turned to a group of skullfish hanging off his butt with teeth the size of his fingers. Shrieking, he pulled them off one by one, relieved when the tunic did not puncture. When the last skull fish detached reluctantly, Link held the creature by its tail and examined it. Completely devoid of flesh, the bony ribcage sheltered a pair of primitive, internal organs. Prodding its stomach, he twirled the skullfish and threw it back in the pond.

A giant padlocked door towered above him and he briefly eyed the etched stone. Three circles nestling in crescent moons, facing away from each other. Looks familiar...Or maybe not.

While he debated, Midna produced a hulking key in her small hands and unlocked the door, removing the chains with a flick of her demonic hair. A passageway, reeking of seaweed and decayed fish, opened up and Link pinched his nose.

"Oy yah." He scooted to the side and spoke, "I forgod to tell you," he spun, exposing a thin silver of skin through the slit on his back, "the shadow tore my tunic, iss not waterbroof anymore."

Silence.

"And you waited the last minute to tell me this because?" Midna raised an eyebrow, the gesture intimidating. "Let me guess, Morpheel must be fought underwater," a crooked grin manifested on her impish face, "therefore the slit will render the tunic useless and you _regretfully_," her elbow dug into Link's cheek, "won't be able to fight." Her voice dropped into a dangerous purr. "Is that it Link?"

Moving from the painful pressure of her elbow, Link shook his head. "Yes...I mean...NO! Of course not, I defeated my darkness, a water snake's not gonna scare me!" Midna's suggestive smile touched the corners of her eyes; she resolutely held his gaze till be broke guiltily. "Fine...I'm a bit scared, but only a little," he emphasized, "I still need my tunic to be repaired though." The imp produced a spool of navy thread and a needle as wicked as the glint in her eye. Seeing the sewing kit, Link muttered under his breath, "Oh no."

"Did I hear a sigh of despair human?"

"Absolutely not!" Link assured and flashed his pearly whites.

Submerged in the water, armed and ready with his sword and shield, Link glued his eyes on the horror of all horrors.

Twilight Aquatic, Morpheel.

Cap streaming upright and kicking to maintain balance, Link recalled the banded sea snakes which washed up on the beaches of Outset Island. The 'water snake' writhing before him, bore no resemblance to the ones in his memories; for one, the snakes were much, _much_ smaller.

I _hate_ everyone, Link grumbled in his head.

Dozens of razor sharp teeth lined both the inner, fleshy jaw and the outer mouth of the monster and they currently pointed at Link. Peeking from behind his shield, Link sliced sideways through the water, glad for spending all his free time swimming. Morpheel coiled, giant scales rippling above a body of pure muscle. Eyes narrowing behind the goggles, Link surveyed the bottom, where sand met water, he spied a stone structure, an exit of sorts.

Making sure Morpheel kept him in sight; he torpedoed through the water, to the arch and swerved to the side in the last minute. The sea monster bashed its teeth and skull against it and Link cheered, a momentary victory.

The happiness gurgled to a stop when the water tinged red, reducing visibility. Not waiting to get coated with monster blood, Link swam upwards.

Morpheel circled in agony; it missed more than a handful of teeth.

Colorless tentacles, branching from its head, wiggled in the water, searching for vibrations. Link stilled, grasping his sword tightly. Heartbeats thudded in his ears and water pressure crushed his lungs. The sea serpent tested the water before twisting and diving back down. Tensing, Link squinted; his torch cast a pale circlet of light, illuminating a plate lifting on Morpheel's neck, curious, he floated lower and paralyzed at the angry, sickly yellow eye glowering venomously at him.

Sea snakes only had two eyes and they did _not_ grow on the backs of their heads.

Morpheel arced upwards and the sudden current threw Link off balance. A spiny scale, jutting from the serpent's body, speared him on his calf. Gasping in pain, he trailed along the monster, a helpless morsel at the mercy of twisting tides. Teeth gritted, Link hooked his sword into the thick cracks made by close fitting scales and flopped on the creature's back.

He sawed on the spike stabbing his leg and blood diffused a red line in the water.

Finally free, he attempted to pull the thorn out, thought the better of it and shimmied up Morpheel's back. The single eye glowed hot and yellow. Angry. Gut contracting at what he was about to do, Link screwed his eyes shut and plunged the Master Sword in the rapidly rotating eyeball. Morpheel buckled, attempting to shake its parasite off. Holding tightly, Link retracted the blade with a wet squelch and stabbed it again. Eyeball fluid and blood flowed freely, clouding the waters opaque.

Fumbling for the grappling hook, Link swallowed bile and triggered it, he sucked a gigantic eyeball clean from its socket and tossed it away, retching violently. Twilight Morpheel bashed itself on the side of the temple and the brickwork crumbled.

Water vacuumed out as Link desperately clung to the sea serpents lifeless form.

* * *

Lanayru greeted them at its spring; along with another individual wearing some sort of weird, fish head armor. When Link turned to enquire about the weirdo, Midna, floating next to him, face frozen in shock.

Wrath.

And an indescribable pain.

"What are you doing here?" she shrieked, balling her hands into fists. Taken aback, Link studied the stranger, chuckling like a fish starved of water. Breathing raggedly, Midna backtracked, bringing arms to shield herself as the stranger approached, deliberately slow. "Stay away from me or I will destroy you," she threatened, chest heaving.

Zant drove her closer to Lanayru, the serpentine spirit waited, as if chained by force.

Link stepped between them, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword. "Stay back," he cautioned, eyes boring into the helmet. "Don't come any closer."

The stranger threw his head back and laughed, he raised an elongated sleeve, tassels dangling in the air, and pointed at Link. "No, _you_ stay out of this human, or there will be grave consequences for you." Link bent his knees; gaze still locked at the bulbous eyes protruding from either side of the helmet. "I warned you," the usurper king hoarsely stated and shook his sleeve; Link's head whipped back.

A piercing pain screwed in the middle of his forehead and he raised his right hand to touch a spiral of rock embedded in his head. Familiar pain gripped him. Bending, he clutched his stomach and weakly reached for Zant, but the Twilli tossed him aside. Curling, Link gasped for air, his bones crackled and snapped; his gaze blurred and sharpened. Midna, who a few seconds ago lingered at the spring, now stood in front of him, her single eye wide in worry. She tugged on the stone screwing through his forehead.

"You will pay for this!" She voiced lowly as tiny fingers failed to find purchase on the rock. The human morphed into a sacred wolf, whimpering piteously and eyeing her sadly.

_You said...I won't have to turn into a wolf anymore,_ she could almost hear Link's childish complaint and the accompanying pout.

"What do you want?" Midna demanded as the rock dissolved in Link's forehead. She strained against the invisible bonds drawing her above and closer to Zant. When she hovered directly in front of him, she bashed her oversized head against his and smirked when he uttered a small hiss of pain.

"Your fused shadows," Zant growled, "give them to me." Midna glared at him, a writhing ball of hate and despair and he sighed melodramatically. "You always make everything difficult for me don't you, _Princess?_" He brushed a checkered sleeve against her cheek and behind them, Link's ears perked. "Since you won't hand the pieces to me, I will take them by force." Zant extracted the three shadows and Midna convulsed violently, a tear snaking down her eye. "...We could have ruled together," the usurper's tone dropped into a gentle whisper, "but you refused and consorted with the denizens of light." He tilted his head at Link. "And did you really think to use our magic against me?" Zant clicked his tongue. "How naive of you." The Twilli's mouthpiece flittered upwards, revealing white skin and paper thin lips. Lowering, he pressed his lips against Midna's and she whipped her head to the side, hissing. "Since you love the light so much," Lanayru rose, twisting unnaturally, "I will let you be with them. Farewell, _Midna_."

He tossed her into the pool and the golden waters pulled her under. Zant lingered on the outcropping of rock, before vanishing back to Twilight.

Lanayru teleported them to Hyrule Fields.

Legs like jelly, Link dashed several meters before crashing into the ground. Dirt and grass stains speckled his coat and ominous clouds peppered the dark sky. He registered a weight on his back and a confusing message played in his brain. _Reach Princess Zelda, imprisoned in her castle. _Pausing, Link softly tipped Midna on a bed of thick grass and studied her.

A mere shadow, the imp did not smile, nor leer at him. Instead, her expression twisted into one of pain and only the outline of her body, a ghostly grey, assured him of her existence. Nudging her with his wet nose, Link experimentally licked her, hoping she would snap back to life and hit him for daring to swipe her with a slobbering tongue.

Nothing.

Her eye was closed; her chest rose and fell too rapidly. Circling her uncertainly, Link tossed her back on his back, wincing when one arm bounced at an awkward angle and set off in a trot.

He did not allow himself to stop.

Before long, his paws touched wood. The tips of his claws tingled when the wooden bridge changed into stone and he slipped through the partially open, gigantic gate leading into Castle Town. Inside, he petrified. People milled in the streets, confusing smells of perfume and leather shoes and paper bags overwhelmed him. Growling, he tried to cut a way through the throngs of people however...

"Wolf!" a woman screamed, pointed a stiletto finger at Link and her hair-bun quivered violently. "There is a wolf in Town!" She projected loudly and people bailed for safety.

The sacred wolf reared back, suffered boot stomps on his paws and a violent kick to the rump. He stumbled forward, more people screamed and the shrill sound hammered his brain. Flattening his ears, he sought for a gap in the crowd. Whistles rent the air and a forest of gleaming spear tips pointed at his throat.

Link eyed the guards disbelievingly.

Barking worsened the condition, the glinting weapons and shivering guards attempted to herd him outside. Growling lowly, Link backed into a hedge, where thorny rosebushes grew plenty and tore into a side street. A squad of the guards gave chase but stopped after a few meters. Skidding to a halt and wearing his claws on rough stone, the wolf paused for breath and an unimpressed cat trained amber eyes on him.

"Hi," the cat haughtily greeted and flicked its tail, "you run out of breath easily stranger." Its mouth curled into an amused smirk as Link processed..._He understood cat_. "I've never seen you around," the cat stalked closer, "so what you got there on your back? Food?"

"No!" Link pressed against a wall, the cold stone tickled his fur. "She's not food, she's…" he trailed off and the cat, disinterested washed its face. "I need help; I need to get to the Castle, where can I find it?"

The cat's whiskers twitched, more felines poured from the alleyways, tails contorting fascinatedly. "You don't know Hyrule Castle?" a tabby questioned, lips curling. It pointed a tail to four turquoise tiled turrets rising majestically in the distance. "That," the cat puffed its chest self-importantly, "is Hyrule Castle, home of Princess Zelda, soon to be Queen or something like that."

"Yes," Link breathed, "I need to get to her, please take me there." The cats exchanged dubious looks and shook their heads. "Please," he pointed to Midna, her breathing feeble, "I need to save her, it is very important, lives are at stake here." Most of the cats slunk away, overhead, thunder flashed. "Please..." Link begged.

One cat, scarred muzzle illuminated by stray light, padded forward on silent paws. "Find Louise, that fatty knows the castle and its hidden passages better than anyone of us." The scarred cat nodded and Link's front paws knocked together. "You are pathetic." The cat finished with a swish of its tail and melted in the gloom.

Louise, the sacred wolf agreed, was fat. However, she listened intently to Link's plea and helped him unconditionally. The canine and feline duo jumped on a crate and snuck into Telma's smoky bar. Prowling in the rafters, Louise nudged Link repeatedly, finally resorting to pushing the cowardly wolf on a tightrope and grinning smugly as the large creature awkwardly lumbered across, pausing to sniff and wrinkle his nose when a whiff of alcohol burned his nostrils. The two inched across the main room, where people sipped frothing mugs and drunken roars drowned the merry twinkling of the gramophone spinning in a corner.

The cat and wolf balanced across a lattice of ropes. Link's ice blue eyes focused on the ground instead of in front of him and Louise' whiskers twitched disapprovingly, she sunk her claws in the wolf's fur, prompting him to rocket across the fraying rope and land on a solid stretch of wood. The platform ran across a smaller, dimly lit room. Curious, Link cocked his ears, trying to listen to the group whispering below.

"What are they saying?" he whispered to Louise, head whipping back on spying a familiar head of blonde hair. "That's Rusl; I didn't know he's the type to waste time in bars." The wolf frowned, feeling betrayed.

The cat, white coat glowing in the dark, replied, "It's the resistance." She sniffed and licked a spot of dirt off her immaculate fur. "They always come in here to discuss their topics, none of them drink though." She clarified and Link sighed in relief. "Except for the dark haired lady." Turning to Link and fixing him with lamp yellow eyes, she added, "don't you know this? You come to the meetings sometimes."

"Oh…I uh," he swallowed and cast another glance at Rusl who bent over important looking papers, "lost my memories." The wolf finished lamely.

Louise snorted. "Whatever. Don't you have else someone to meet?" she asked plummily and Link nodded, leaving the room and the resistance behind.

Steps of basalt and slate conspired to form the hidden halls of Hyrule Castle. The freezing surface burned Link's pads and wore his claws; however, determination pushed him forward. His complaints dwindled into an odd rumbling in his throat as he followed Louise's bushy tail through corridors reeking of moss and clandestine secrets. On his back, Midna's breath grew labored and he hurried, urgency in his step. Agonizing climbs over broken staircases, threatened to rip Midna from his back but Louise jumped on and pinned the limp imp securely. Height and wind, no longer a threat, became mere disturbances and at long last, Link flopped in the throne room where a hooded figure stood on the far side, pale fingers gripping a window trellis.

Mysteriously, Louise vanished.

Warily avoiding the royal red strip of velvet, Link bounded to their savior. Easing Midna to the floor, he pleadingly looked at the hooded figure and nodded to Midna, nosing her tenderly. The figure knelt, a cowl covered more than half of her face and he lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Zelda..." Midna rasped and the wolf lurched, pawing her with hope blooming in her chest. "How do we-" she pointed a trembling finger at Link, "-the curse." Her breathing rattled in her chest. "Get rid of it." Princess Zelda clasped Midna's miniscule hand in her gloved one and guided the other under the imp's head. "You need to save...him," Midna painstakingly related. "He's the one...You were right." Link whined when her eye briefly closed. "So please, save him...Zant...the fused shadows." A tear traced the curve of her white cheek. "He took them...Now, you have to...Show him the mirror of Twilight. My people..." Midna's eye fixated on the ceiling and Zelda studied the sacred wolf.

Eyeing on the glowing triangle on her hand, Link shrunk backwards in shame.

"He will not be much of a problem," Zelda assured quietly and Midna smiled weakly, "since he stole the Blade of Evil's bane, the curse is not permanent." The princess spared a moment to glare at Link from beneath the hood but the wolf appeared confused. Glare softening when she turned to Midna, Zelda added, "Being so selfless," she squeezed the Twilli's hand comfortingly, "does not suit you." The imp managed a weak cackle and settled for a long sleep. "Midna..." Zelda called and an eye flashed open. "Live. Live and take back what is rightfully yours."

Never have Link seen Midna look so startled, he supposed snapping a pictograph at this moment was highly inappropriate.

Princess Zelda glowed and color rushed back into Midna who rocketed from her supine position, her eye stretched impossibly wide. "Stop her!" she screeched but Zelda simply smiled. "Stop her, Link!" Midna ordered but unsure what to do, he merely barked and slunk backwards, repelled by light. "No, Zelda, you can't!" Midna clawed for the vanishing princess.

A ghost of her smile lingered in the air.

The tower, mired in silence, housed a foreboding aura, leeching from a plotting Twilli sitting on the cold, damp floor. Midna, facing away from Link and shoulders shaking, stood up, swiped an arm across her face and Link swore he saw a tear glitter in the pale orange light filtering from the windows.

She crashed on Link's back and for once, he did not complain. "You can transform back into a human," Midna informed, arms crossed over her chest, "but it will be more painful this time...If I get the rock out of your head, the remaining transformations will become easier." He sighed, dully accepting a history of pain. "Our next destination is the Gerudo Desert." A humorless smile revealed her fang. "Not the dessert you eat though." Link nodded and faced the door; Midna looked back to the empty throne room and the wolf hesitated. "Go," her voice trembled, "the next time I come back here...I'll be meeting a Queen."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Lacuna**

Splashes of fungi splattered the paper like ink, shielding secrets. Holding his breath, Link crawled out of the dim and gravitated to light, which fell plentiful outside. Waving a colony of fireflies away from his face, he squatted on a rotting tree stump, heard the scuttle of insects rushing for safety and pushed the mildewed letter in his face. Dust wafted in his nostrils and he sneezed violently, holding the letter at arm's length to protect it from snot. After sneezing a grand total of twelve times, his sternum ached, his eyes watered but stubbornly, he squinted, using the edge of a flat stick to scrape the fungus and decipher the words underneath.

The world stopped rotating around him.

_Dear Link_

A patch of brown gobbled the first few lines. _-Ku Tree. I know you did not do it, despite what everyone says. You have to leave the..._Another streak of silver blotted a sentence and Link's eyes skipped downwards. _Please be careful and listen to Navi, fairies are granted to all Kokkiri and they are our companions. And remember to eat your fruit..._Green smeared a good half of the letter and he focused on the end. _Link_,_ I'll always worry about you, be careful out there, it's a big and scary world. I know...You have a greater calling. You might never...Letters...Safe._

_Fr...Sa_

Link read the letter again and again, frustration welling in his mind. This letter told him absolutely nothing! It only confirmed a niggling sensation. The ancient Historia chronicled three separate timelines created by the Hero of Time but, the Royal Family denied such an existence, citing only one existed, where the Hero defeated Ganondorf and ushered in a rule of peace and prosperity.

Daring not to fold the letter, lest it tear at the edges, Link carefully lowered it into his backpack, guilt churning his stomach. The Forbidden Woods hissed angrily and trudging back to the hut, he placed the letter back in the shattered casket and examined the map. Greyed paper exhibited a time of bygone ages; it showed the Kokkiri village, little circular huts hollowed from thick, baobab trees. A stream gushed through the hamlet and tents served as trading stations.

Smiling zanily, Link lowered the map and froze. Pitch eyes screwed on a little X marking a location; he mouthed the words, _Saria's house_ and spared a moment to congratulate himself on studying archaic languages. It paid off. He traced his finger along the hut's circular boundary and swept his gaze across the gloomy, cobwebbed walls enclosing him. Map fisted in pudgy hands, he walked out, noting the placements of other circular remains, they matched the dwelling places of a pair of twins and a Kokkiri Girl.

"...I found the Kokkiri Village..." Link reverently whispered and viewed the menacing forest with new eyes. "The place he lived." A plug surfaced in his throat and he tried to imagine what the village looked like eons ago.

Alas, the image eluded him and he ran his fingers through the knee high grass.

Several meters away, a parasite hissed, steering the present back in full force. Rolling the map, Link tucked it in his belt and marched to the next chamber.

Here, he examined a black chasm separating him from the next destination. A rickety elevator, colluded from bokosticks and secured with tough vines, hung over the chasm, creaking in a breeze. Link surveyed the other side with the telescope and a bright blue, glowing vine pulsed in greeting. Smirking, he backtracked, craning his neck for a switch. He blew a gust of wind at the propeller, sitting alone on a ledge and with much groaning, the elevator travelled towards him in spurty steps. Unhesitatingly, he clambered on board and the floor squeaked at his weight. With a bokonut next to him, he urged the elevator to the other side and jumped the last few feet, flailing to keep balance.

Hurling the nut at the sweating parasite, Link strode confidently into a stretch of long grass.

Thorny vines erupted from the deep, gashing his face. Gasping in astonishment, Link sidestepped, and another row of thorns tore through his tights, leaving a crisscross of bleeding lines on his calves. Panic rising, Link stepped backwards and a vine, sporting dozens of lime thorns, bit his back. Cursing, he tore out of the brambles and collapsed at the entrance, bleeding heavily from superficial wounds. Palms slick with blood, the boy examined the extent of his injuries and groaned.

If the King of Red Lions were here, he would command Link to sleep for an eternity.

The thought induced a wry grin on his face.

Carefully wiping stinging palms on potion infused bandages, Link eased his clothes off. The belt lay on the grass, next to his wallet, telescope, side imprinted with bloody fingerprints, and map. He stuffed his cap, the only article of clothing not to sport a hole, into the bag and peeled his tunic from drying wounds. The tights, shredded beyond saving, he discarded and spared a moment to stare at his short, jiggling legs.

Muffling a curse, Link sat on the grass, cleaning his wounds with a precious bottle of water and potions. The cuts stung like wasp stings and few oozed. Wiping carefully, he reached for the Pirate's charm, suddenly fearful of the situation. What if the thorns contained _poison?_

"What?!" the King of Red Lions boomed concernedly through the stone and Link jumped. "If you are feeling unwell, I suggest you return immediately." The boat pressed, worry laced his voice.

Thoughts pulling to Makar, alone and possibly more than terrified, Link shook his head before remembering the craft could not see him.

"Link," the figurehead exhaled, as if sensing the boy's intention, "you cannot save others if you are injured yourself."

"Do the thorns contain poison?" the hero asked calmly, a bottle of red potion raised to his lips. "Do any of the plants in here contain poison? If so, I want to know which ones," he gulped, "and how they look, what the poisons do and if anyone of them are fatal."

The wind howled, conveying might through the glowing stone. "Define fatal," the boat grumbled. His passenger's definitions of certain words were...skew to say at least.

"If I don't die from asphyxiation in a about three minutes, I'll be fine."

Bumping on the shores of Forest Haven, the King of Red Lions searched for a way inside. "Do I need to remind you that you are in an eleven year old's body?" His voice carried an edge. "A child's body, whether you like it or not."

"Don't remind me," Link growled. "I'm currently staring at my baby fat," a pause, "which is not melting despite my best efforts to get rid of it!" the child hissed.

Giving up, the boat solemnly related, "The colorful plants contain neurotoxins...You probably know what they do." A quiet confirmation poured from the stone. "Most of the glowing plants, which you will see deeper into the woods, have deadly alkaloids. Some of these can induce a raging fever, or uncontrollable vomiting, both very bad for your body," the King of Red Lions lectured sternly. "You will also find tainted waters, don't let a drop touch your skin, it will necrose. Lastly, there are no fatal poisons but if the dexivines bite you, they will pass on a rash containing tiny parasites which will burrow through your skin and kill you off in six months." The boat spared a glance at the darkening horizon. "See, nothing in there is fatal," he snarked and Link sniggered. "It's not funny boy, I'm worried about you!"

"Sorry," the boy hiccupped. "I wasn't laughing at you, there's a butterfly on my nose."

The King of Red Lions paused to let the statement sink in. A butterfly...on Link's nose.

"Good, now you are in the grip of a hallucination," he muttered to a dead stone.

Sitting on a patch of dark grass, Link widely eyed the colorful butterfly perched on his button nose. He reached for the creature and it flitted from his outstretched fingertips, the patterns on its wings changing color every second. Giggling, he lurched drunkenly after the vibrant insect, naked toes brushing against blood speckled grass. He hesitated at the border of towering foliage and thrust his arm inside, pulling it back quickly when thorny vines erupted. Glaring balefully at the conniving insect, he returned to his supplies and shook his head irritably.

The world dissolved like an impressionist painting, a swirl of colors.

Shaking his head and knocking his temple for good measure, Link reached for a bottle of colorless potion and poured it in his throat. The liquid burned like fire and he spat it up. Spots of it landed on his gaping wounds and they stung terribly. Coughing, he wiped his mouth and stared at the bottle. "Oh...alcohol," he mumbled and plopped on the ground. Silently, he dressed the lacerations.

And two hours later, he navigated the maze of thorny bushes without a pair of tights.

* * *

Grass tickled his bare calves but Link did not let the minor discomfort sway him. He worked quickly, hacking the blades and stabbing any obstacle in his way. The woods darkened, less light filtered from above and worry seeded his heart.

Poor Makar must be having a heart attack somewhere.

Following the antiquated map, accurate despite the alien vegetation, Link navigated, using his grappling hook to leap short distances because the Deku Leaf failed him in critical situations. He generously absorbed the auroras dancing within wooden magic jars but without any sensation, nothing felt enough. Landing on a platform and disturbing fireflies, Link stalked towards a plum bokobulb and it shot him in the air. Whipping out the Leaf, he sailed to another, woody ledge and surveyed the circular chamber with the telescope. The view inside the circlet of glass changed and frowning, he lowered it, gaping when the platform he stood on, moved.

Shrugging sentient plants and their daily activities, Link strolled through the forest floor. Here, insects did not buzz. Wind ceased to whisper and dust stung his eyes. Narrowing his irises at a dark entrance screaming of danger, Link's mouth crinkled into a smile and he leapt into it.

Wooden bars crawled over the door, thwarting escape and Link assumed a fighting stance.

Tension choked the air.

A shadow flew above him and he whipped his head upwards, seeing only the dim, olive glow of the forest. To his left, leaves rustled and he snapped to the bush. A bright red wing tip emerged from behind a copse of low growing trees and he stared as the appendage crept into the open. Large, hypnotizing circles, reminiscent of a monster's eye, marked the wing and the insect emerged fully, flapping and hissing. It veered wildly for the human and launched a volley of spiked larvae at the intruder.

Without wasting a heartbeat, Link blasted the projectiles with a gust of wind and paused. Grinning, he waved the leaf and another stiff breeze chased Mothula. A third, vigorous wave produced no results.

_Che_, out of magic _again_.

The insect sensed a dilemma. Antennae quivering, it rushed at the human, hoping to scare it away from its clutch of eggs. Instead, the puny thing waved a blade and prowled after Mothula. Buzzing, the winged creature led it away from its brood.

Tonight, they dine on human.

Mothula, riveting wings spraying a handful of glowing beads in the air each time it flapped, dizzied Link. It trailed neon color wherever it flew and the bright lights disorientated him. His blade did not reach the insect and he stood still, prey waiting to be skewered.

Feathery antennas buzzing, the moth descended and he leapt, sword slicing through flimsy wings. Mothula flapped feebly, clicking angrily. Link buried its sword in a single, yellow eye and the moth shriveled, ejecting a handful of spiked larvae as it died. The balls swarmed over its mother, emitting a keening sound. Sword outstretched, Link approached the brood and hesitated for a split second before butchering them all.

He wiped their pale tissue fluid on grass.

The bars on the doors disengaged on both sides. Woody vines peeled painstakingly back, as if afraid to surrender their treasure. Stalking through a door, Link critically eyed a chest, gaze sweeping for enemies. When none popped forth, he twirled his sword and approached the wooden casket sitting innocently on a raised tree stump. No padlocks and rusting chains circled the box and he kicked it open.

Nestled in a pillow of once pink flowers, Link lifted a banana yellow boomerang and ran fingers over its smooth, curved surface. He flicked it outwards, the bright weapon arced through the hollow and flew back, striking his hand roughly. Blowing his stinging fingers, he tucked the boomerang in his sack and prowled to the next area of the dungeon.

A quick consultation with the map informed him that he stood in a maze of sorts. Luscious green vines, thick as his arm, swung from the ceiling, bokonuts rattling on their ends. Weighing his options, Link swiped with the sword and frowned when his too short arm failed to reach the vines. Stepping back, he aimed the boomerang carefully and let it rip. Snakes of vibrant green rained to the floor, hollow bokonuts rolled like giant marbles, bumping into each other and coming to a standstill. Squashing vines under boots and legs laced in slimy plant sap, Link twisted through the labyrinthine layout of rocky platforms and grass. He ducked and flew backwards when a navy blue vine snapped, missing his arm by centimeters. Huffing, Link unleashed his anger on the dexivine, chopping the wobbly parasite into microscopic bits and grinding them underfoot.

Sweat plastered his puff of blonde hair across his forehead in ratty strands. The humid air rendered him dizzy and all the fighting and dodging and thinking wore Link down.

Still he persisted, tripping over knotty roots and searching for edibles. Thin stems bowed under the weight of smooth, shiny berries and Link licked his lips eagerly. Deadly nightshade or blueberries?

The fruits teased him for an experimental bite and ignoring a vehement protest from his stomach; he rose and continued through the Forbidden Woods, marveling at a giant flower held aloft by glowing, cyan vines.

A moat of purplish water surrounded him and Link explored possible options, he rifled through his sack, lining precious pots of magic and popping their perforated seals. Magic meter recharged, or so he hoped, the boy floated to the upper ledges on his Deku Leaf, still unused to the sensation of flying. There must be a trick to this thing, Link mused as he landed on a grassy platform and sank to the floor, gulping for air. Hunger caved his belly in and Link struggled to remember what he last ate.

A cheese sandwich? No. He scowled; he remembered chewing something sour and juicy.

A tangerine.

The young hero groaned.

Soft squealing reached his ears and immediately, he pulled to his feet, sword and shield at the ready. To Link's unbridled delight, a bunch of green chuchu surged towards him, ringed eyes determined to defeat. Grinning madly, Link charged at them, the mass of green halted, called a collective meeting and instantly agreed on a decision.

_Run._

* * *

**A/N:** Muscle memory is a fascinating; we do a lot of our things without thinking. Midna's lament is possibly my favorite track in Twilight Princess, although, I prefer Wind Waker's music. It has a Nordic/Celtic? undertone to it.

Music is good for setting moods.

Once again, read and review people, or Link will come after you, missing a pair of pants and sword screaming for blood.

At BOOM Fanfic-a-latta: I hope the story lives up to your expectations.

At AkabaneKazama: Thank you for your review. I changed TP Link's background to show more contrast between the two main characters. I like Train Link's engineer outfit. He's the Link with the best education, while the others can at most, read and write. There is a sort of explanation why TP Link removed the sword at a later chapter. As for innocent Wind, I liked writing him desending into madness. Mwahahah! Time was supposed to be a crass, if nice ghost. Unfortunately, he spiraled into an impatient piece of moss.

Much thanks to BOOM Fanfic-a-latta and AkabaneKazama for favoriting and liking the story.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Blood is nothing but ferrous liquid**

Sitting on a thin ledge and legs dangling over a perilous drop into a stream of tainted water, Link wiped his mouth, trying to guess the taste clinging to his tongue. Thick emerald jelly sloshed in a glass bottle and he tipped the contents into his throat, scowling when it slithered down his gullet like slime. Tossing the bottle back into his bag, his hands brushed against the pictobox.

Cradling it, Link balanced on the ledge and snapped a photo; his mind briefly pulled to a fungoid letter he unearthed in a wooden chest and he recalled fragmented words and preserved feelings.

Deep loneliness ached within him. He thought of Rusl, no doubt trying to fix the numerous problems plaguing Hyrule. Did those monsters come back to terrify Ordona again? Link chewed his lip, hoping against hope. He thought about the children, to times fishing in the streams and munching apples. To quiet moments snatched with Ilia. Books, skin covers containing clandestine secrets, arrived at Sera's Sundries and the woman never questioned Link on why he studied forbidden subjects. Neither did Fado. A nostalgic smile inched across Link's face. He loved riding in the enclosure, fenced by wooden posts and wire. The two of them galloped in spirals, racing to see which one of them herded the most goats in the barn. Link always won and Fado let him rest for the rest of the day. Under the shade he sprawled, reading books he would never let Rusl see.

"Vegetable juice," Link muttered and glanced at the green goo sticking to the side of the glass bottle sticking out of the sack. He examined the pictograph and smiled weakly to himself. "I'll show this to Aryll." He frowned. "She needs to know what her...brother is up to."

A flutter of warm gushed in his chest and tried picturing her face.

Alas a droopy eyed child surfaced in his mind.

Easing into a bokobulb, Link shuddered when the mauve petals wrapped around him; the blossom launched him in the air and whipping the Deku Leaf out, he sailed to a nearby platform.

A hiss alerted him to the presence of wingless mothula and he pounced, severing abdomens and limbs neatly from the thorax. The insects twitched, leaking from too large orifices. A colony of peahats whirred closer, two attacked Link while another two circled him menacingly. He flung the boomerang, smirking satisfactorily when the weapon sliced the organic rotor blades apart; the rotor-less monster plopped into the water below. Thrusting his sword into a hovering peahat, Link swiped sideways, catching all three creatures and bashing them against the wall. His arm ached. The peahats imploded in a shower of crinkly leaves.

Twirling the grappling hook, the boy grappled his way to the very top.

Cautiously, he stepped on the giant flower, the fleshy petals depressed beneath his weight. Eyes scanning predatorily, he studied the five long vines tethering the flower to the ceiling. Link shifted to different parts of the flower, seeking the best place of attack. Standing off-center, he let the boomerang slash through the vines and they tore with a wet snap.

The flower, petals flecked in lime green and sea blue, swayed in mid-air and crashed into the lilac water below. Lying flat in the center, Link ducked from the stray drops of acid water. Patches of the vibrant flower darkened into a sickly caramel and fingers curled into a fist, Link watched the water drain life away. Dead leaves and parasites surfaced in the moat. Prodding the wilted flower with his foot, he exhaled in relief when it held his weight. Aided with the Deku Leaf, Link guided his makeshift flower boat, inwardly proud of his sailing skills.

Monsters crouched on the banks, unsure about the new development but leering at the pale faced alien cruising on ruined waters.

Confidently, Linked steered the flower to another pond, fireflies skimmed across is clear surface and Link jumped. He hurriedly sloshed through purple water, his legs tingling unpleasantly. Balancing his weight evenly, Link pushed against the wilted flower, preventing it from tainting the clear pool.

A struggle ensured. Green capped boy versus deviant Mother Nature.

Sweat wove a matted fringe on his forehead and his arms quivered with effort. Breath left his mouth in explosive bursts and he frantically searched the banks for debris. Stepping back, he vaulted on a grassy ledge, pausing to rip a leech stuck to his calf. Arms laden with dry branches, dead leaves and grass, he dumped them in the neck of the stream. Huffing, he dove back for more materials, hacking trees and stabbing monsters, using their hard exteriors to build a plug. Cap snagging on a broken branch, Link left his precious cap dangling while he jumped on his makeshift bridge. The flower bumped against his dam, but the structure held.

Exhausted, Link collapsed, lungs bursting for oxygen. He crawled to the clear pool and hung over the edge, gulping clean water to his fill. Still wearing his tunic, he dove in the pond and brown goo wafted off him in waves. Scrubbing himself clean, he exited the pool, wrung excess water off his sodden tunic and stared dismally as it stuck to his less than adequate body.

Snatching the cap, he fixed it on his head, twirled his sword as a comforting measure and checked the map.

Kalle Demos, if he recalled properly, rooted in the heart of the forest. A pink, clean index finger traced a path on the old map, alighting at the previous location of the Deku Tree.

Grinning, Link trotted off. _Finally_ the universe made sense.

A bored moblin guarded a clearing studded with pillars of rock bearing crystalline switches. Comparing the spear against his sword, Link sidled into the open. The beefy creature squinted at him, before its brain kicked in. Skull necklace dancing around a thick neck, it charged for the diminutive human and Link sidestepped. The spear tip sliced down in a rush of air and the boy briefly glimpsed his hollow cheeks in the silver metal and spun, burying the business end of his sword between two rib bones. Flicking his sword free of blood, Link activated the switches and continued on his merry way; the moblin sunk heavily to the ground, gurgling incomprehensibly.

A path, paved with cracked stones and moss, led him deeper into fields of wild grass. Insects skimmed the sea of green. Mothulas made a desperate attempt to harvest the human but failed. The two legged nuisance cut down anything it approached.

And it left twitching corpses in its wake.

A triumphant smile bloomed on his face when he entered the final chamber. The doors creaked and fell apart, abused by disuse. Striding in, he noted a giant neon flower, Kalle Demos, splayed across the ground; navy blue dexivines sprawled away from it and attached to the cave's woody interior. Nestled in the pistil, a Korok, tiny, even by their standards, quivered. Breaking into a run, the boy skidded to a halt when Kalle Demos snapped shut, trapping Makar within glowing petals.

"Tsk!" Link staggered backwards. The weight of failure loomed as a dark shadow above him. An involuntary tremor seized hold of his hands and legs and he raised them above his head. Darkness pecked his vision,

A helmeted knight stood tall before his quivering form.

"Failure will not be tolerated!" the knight barked, voice bouncing in the metallic helm. "Do." A leather cord bit into Link's side. "You." The whip cracked on his shoulder and he sniffed angrily, refusing to break down and cry. "Understand?" A sharp slap to his cheek, tossed his head to the side. He heard his neck crack.

Sword gripped tightly, Link stalked around Kalle Demos. The flower convulsed violently, he sprang back when a dexivine reached for him and sliced furiously, working off resentment. Splashes of pale blue fluid dotted the roots sprawling across the cavern and he paused.

An idea rooted in his head.

Corner of his mouth lifted to show teeth, Link fisted his boomerang flung it. The weapon sliced through the vines like a yellow, circular saw and the neon pinks and blues ribboning the flower, dimmed in intensity. Without support, Kalle Demos hung low in the air and Link vaulted, stabbing and cutting a line across the bulb and praying for Makar to move out of the way. A stray vine wound around his ankle and shaking it off, he retreated a safe distance.

The dexivines hastily latched to the walls of the cave again, pumping the main parasite with nutrients. Frantically switching his gaze from the swelling parasite and its accessory limbs, Link opted for a different tactic.

He sliced the vines with the boomerang and torched its remains. The fire may have singed the top of his golden hair into a sooty mess but he could care less. Stems shriveled and popped. Leaping to the flower, whose vibrant glow meant nothing but trouble, Link hacked the petals apart, tossing them behind him, where they added fuel to his bonfire.

Kalle Demos spewed pollen in the air and Link wrenched his cap off, using it as a breathing filter. The plant heaved, spewed copious amounts of stinging acid and eventually, withered. Avoiding the puddles of congealed acid, Link skipped to the pistil, still wrapped tightly. He pushed is makeshift mask back on his head, gripped the tightly adhering petals and pulled with all his might.

The petals resisted heavily, unwilling to let go of their prize. Spurts of neon goo flecked Link's hair and face in bright, glowing splotches. Ripping one side cleanly, he sidestepped when a volley of sap leaked from the inside. Link peered to find Makar trembling within the bulb.

The Korok shrunk from Link's outstretched limbs, if given a choice between the human monster and the plant one, he chose the plant; _thank you very much_. Pale skinned and flecked by an unpleasant mixture of sweat, parasite juice and Kalle Demos' foul smelling plant sap, Makar trembled fearfully, wondering why the demon-human-child grinned at him like he was lunch.

Growing impatient, Link plucked Makar from the center and the Korok screeched high pitched murder. "You are cute," Link offered and bounced Makar, hoping to calm the child down. "Don't scream," he soothed, "I won't hurt you, I came here to rescue you." Makar stopped trying to blow Link's ear drums and eyed the savior with beady black eyes. Brushing a spot of goo of the Korok's leafy face, the human cradled the forest child closer to his chest. "You are really cute, like my kids back home."

Makar puffed his cheeks, he was a musical prodigy! And also…

"You have kids?" the Korok questioned skeptically. "You don't look old enough to reproduce."

Link's grip on the Korok turned oppressive. "I meant my goat kids," he explained, "they are tiny, can't walk properly and they are _adorable_." The human sighed and Makar petrified. "Anything wrong?" Link questioned and surveyed the room; he failed to sense a threat. "Nothing will harm you; I'll make sure of that."

The Korok child desperately squirmed in Link's grasp and when the human, still grinning with neon sap coating his bottom lip, refused to let go, Makar turned.

"Do you mind?" He gestured to the floor and toddled away when Link relinquished him. "The Ceremony," Makar wailed, "I'm late and the Deku Tree will be mad at me." The Korok wrung its stubby hands and hobbled to the warp portal glowing above Kalle Demos' corpse. "Thank you for saving me," Makar squeaked, and bowed, leafy face almost kissing the ground. "Although I ruined everything..."

Hands twitching desperately for the waddling leaf sack, Link marshaled them to his sides. Makar is one of the Kokkiri children, he reminded himself; he is centuries old, definitely not a helpless child. A cute rattle accompanied the Korok's footsteps and Link followed. "Nothing is ruined," he assured, pitch eyes shining kindly, "the Deku Tree asked the Ceremony to be delayed." Makar's beady eyes glowed in gratitude. "They told me you are their best performer." The duo rose and Link clutched his stomach, no matter how many times he used these light shafts, he will never get used to them.

* * *

Midday sunlight slanted through the dense canopy, falling on the Ceremony in beams of pine and gold. Tall firs swarmed the clearing, dancing to the haunting song.

Boots off and feet dipping in the pool surrounding the great Deku Tree, Link sat with Farore's pearl in his lap and a drink balanced in bandaged palms. On the giant lily pad, Makar, the center of attention, conducted the orchestra. The melody, alluring from the outskirts of Forest Haven, pounded in Link's ears. Violin strings clashed against a high flute and his heart thudded in his ribcage.

Drowning the drink, he stumbled to a drink station manned by two Koroks. Fingers a vice grip around the pearl, Link eyed the drinks; raising his glass, he slurred, "I want whatever you gave me." He tottered sideways and reached for a bamboo pole to balance himself. "It's really delicious," Link tossed the pearl, much to the Koroks' utter humiliation and anger, "what's in it?" He smiled crazily. "I could do with a couple of more of these." The hero hiccupped and held out his glass.

The Koroks shared a concerned glance with each other, behind them, the music raged and the Deku Tree swayed. His withered face crinkled into a proud smile and the entire forest shifted, leaves pushed through rotting topsoil and flowers carpeted the floor in vibrant hues.

"Is he..." one Korok leaned to the other; leaf faces nearly grazing, "you know how humans get when they drink those stuff?"

"I'm not drunk," Link assured and smashed his head against the bamboo pole, Farore's pearl slipped from his pudgy grasp and the distraught Korok rushed after it, cradling the sacred pearl in twig arms. "I'm...Perfectly fine, yeah." The human smiled, revealing a menacing set of pure white teeth.

Returning the pearl to the hero, the Koroks whispered to each other, "I don't think it's a good idea to give him so much of the potion," the taller one said, waving a thin arm at Link, "clearly humans are not accustomed to drinking our brews. I'm afraid he might explode." The forest child turned, a lily leaf face contorting concernedly. "I can hear his heart beating frantically, the music is not helping." If possible, the song pitched higher and Link clutched his chest, beads of sweat dotting his hairline. "At this rate, he might die." The Koroks appraised the human and the taller one grabbed Link's mug, filling it with a cool, light blue potion. "Please drink this, it has calming properties."

Link tipped the potion on the ground and it splattered on his toes. "I want the other one," he obstinately garbled. "It makes me warm." He doggedly stared at the shorter Koroks, waiting for them to crumble. "Please," he added as an afterthought.

"No." The taller Korok drew level with the human while the shorter one nervously tugged its face. "Too much of the super restoratives is detrimental to your health," the forest child reasoned, "and you are already red in the face." Link poked his cheek. Hot. "If you swallow another cup of the golden drink, you'll go splat like an overripe berry crushed underfoot."

Still gripping the bamboo pole, Link considered. "Splat isn't good," he concluded sagely. "Fine." He grudgingly handed his empty glass. "But I want a crate of those...for my boat. Boat's don't go splat."

The human beamed when the duo nodded off-handedly, he clutched a brimming mug of light blue juice and lurched back to his spot by the spring. Settling, Link tossed the contents back in one gulp and the desperate staccato in his chest crawled into a standstill. The music, raging with Makar at its center, did not corkscrew in his head, teasing buried memories to the surface. Eye twitching when liquid flecked Farore's pearl, Link polished the gem with his tunic. He swathed it with layers of soft cloth and placed it deep inside his backpack, where it nestled with Din's pearl. Satisfied, he leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to enjoy the evocative song.

Flutes and panpipes sang a duet. Violin and cello mourned together. Cymbals and fiddles conjured images of rolling hills and ancient palaces of stone. _Blue capped turrets._ Link lay on the grass, he did not see a canopy of trees, he saw the vast, blue sky of Hyrule.

The orchestra petered to an end and he sat up, tugging on his boots and smiling at his new, olive tinted tights. He joined the procession of Koroks on the giant lily pad and a heady smell perfused the air. Lemon fighting with clove. The forest children around him panted, breaths exhaled in tiny clouds. Striding to the center, he bent to pat Makar on the head and swallowed a grimace when volatile oils coated his palm. Makar, like many of the Korok, smelled like ripe apricots.

Saplings popped over the Deku Tree and Link bowed humbly. From the shadows cast by too tall trees, dozens of Korok children took to the skies and settled on branches, each of them teased a delicate sapling from the Tree and fluttered back down.

"Children of the Forest," the Deku Tree announced, "the time has come again to spread life over the Great Sea." A ripple of voices murmured consent. "And I ask you to plant these saplings where desertification has taken hold." The air held its breath. "Go now my children," the Korok rose, "and make sure there is greenery everywhere." In seconds, the clearing cleared of the tiny Koroks; those partaking in the Ceremony, melted into the shadows and Link spared a moment to wonder where they all lived. "Makar," the Tree said, "we were really worried about you." The Korok bowed low and muttered heartfelt apologies. "I hope you do not scare us like that again, adventurous as you are." A smile wrinkled the surface of the Tree and Makar flushed, a healthy emerald covered his face; the Cello player dipped again and retreated, vanishing in the leaves. "Link," the Deku Tree called and he stopped worrying about Makar, "did you find answers to what you were looking for?"

The question hung in the air.

Settling cross-legged on the lily pad, Link kneaded his left foot, his pinky toe throbbed. "I found a letter," he whispered, almost to himself. "An old, old letter with fungus eating the words," he confided. "But it confirmed my suspicions, there are three timelines." The Deku Tree nodded vigorously, surprised.

"I thought you knew?"

"History is a well concealed treasure." Link shrugged. "And I..." he broke off, index finger trailing down a nonexistent nose bridge. "My Hyrule," he paused and stood brusquely, "please excuse me, I've said too much." The boy hastily added and the lily lowered.

The Deku Tree swayed. "I'm old," he stated, "I'm ancient, although I am younger than the Hero of Time." Link gingerly lowered on the lily pad's edge, feet dangling over a pool of clear water. "Child," the Tree sighed and the boy leveled a venomous glare at the deity, "there are some things you can never hide, no matter how much you try to conceal them. Blood is red, no matter what body it spurts from." Silence pressed on all sides, the gurgling streams halted in their rushing. "I am well aware of your predicament."

Balling hands into fists, Link jumped, landing in a spectacular splash in the shallow pool. "Then we have nothing to discuss," his mind pulled to the boat. _To betrayal._ "I'm going to find this elusive Korok village and procure poison."

"Link," the Deku tree appealed, "you must understand, you _cannot_ shoulder this burden alone, there are greater forces at work here." However the boy disappeared, hacking though the vegetation with a blade flashing silver. "No one expects you to do this alone."

Alone, surrounded by vines and chameleons studying him with protruding eyes, the boy snorted.

_That's what you think._

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Forever is a long time**

Is three weeks enough to heal heartbreak? Link wondered and warily eyed Midna poking at a fire with a long stick.

_No_. He sagely concluded and positioned a pen above paper.

Is forever enough to heal a broken person?

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, pen skewed against paper and wet splotches decorated his canvas.

No.

Blinking rapidly, he roughly wiped his eyes on his sleeve and squinted. Bathed by the light of a cruel moon, he shivered under a heavy blanket and listlessly gazed at ruined stone columns. At the remains of a once great civilization, reduced to dust by shifting sands and the force of nature. An inhospitable desert stretched on all sides, blowing dust and decay in the air. During the day, the sun beat mercilessly, pounding in his back and head, browning his already brown skin. Water disappeared faster than it arrived and sweat caked salt to his peeling body.

At night, the sun set, pulling all the heat and life with it. A moon surfaced, or it did not, but a jet sky, sprinkled with stars bigger than his fist, rained ice from the heavens and Link hugged himself, furiously massaging and coaxing blood back to frozen fingers and toes.

A flat boulder served as a crude table top and the oil burned lower in his lantern. Pulling a fresh sheet of paper and lips pressed into a determined line, Link sketched. He drew Aryll, with her fluffy hair parted in two pigtails and Grandma, kindness settling in the map of wrinkles around her eyes and chin. Frowning at the inadequate drawing (mere stick figures really), he blew his lantern and joined Midna. Huddling next to her, Link showed his drawing.

"If I wanted my eyes to burn," the Twilli drawled humorlessly, "I'd stick my face in the fire." She turned, small hand automatically jerking to her chest before she remembered a pair of icy blue eyes. "Go to sleep," she commanded. "It's late."

However Link did not move. "This is Aryll." He pointed.

"She looks nothing like you," Midna snapped.

"She's all alone inside a tower and she doesn't know her brother is in..." the words lodged in his throat, "in... far away." His shoulders slumped. "Grandma is also alone," he halted, "and since no one in our family works, I do odd jobs like weeding gardens and getting paid." Midna rose from the stone bench and floated to their tent. "Grandma is probably sitting in a rocking chair by the fire." Link pictured his home, the hearth and its cast iron pot, bubbling cheerfully with soup. "Do you know what else she said?"

Midna rotated, yellow eye glaring. "Little kids should be in bed before high moon?"

Link raised his head towards the sky, the moon directly overhead and shook his head. "She said it's okay for boys and adults to cry." Near the tent, the imp stiffened. Her head titled to the right, too low to convey anything either than sadness.

* * *

Progress through the desert remained slow and arduous. More than once, Link succumbed to fever and dehydration and Midna mustered the will to take care of him. Warping to Castle Town for supplies and medicine taxed her, but the chorus of foreign voices, strange smells and the camphor tint of ointment and syrups, calmed her. A giant Twilight golden pyramid surrounded Hyrule Castle, unseen by the public eye. The trips to Town, the imp furiously told herself, was to gather bandages and food, not to stand at the Castle Gates and peer longingly at turquoise turrets slicing through the sky.

Not to mourn the loss of the only person who understood Midna so completely.

The brat told her it was okay to cry. Midna disagreed. Tears were a sign of weakness; she mopped sweat from Link's forehead. He tossed in a bed roll, stained sheets swamped the overgrown child and he curled like a chuworm, often clutching a pillow and weeping into it, screaming for his grandmother. Link's world rotated entirely around her. Grandma was a sage, a mother, a warm cocoon, a place the boy escaped too. Aryll represented responsibility. But as he weakly straightened into a sitting position with steam curling away from a body heated to dangerous degrees, Midna saw no one. No confident hero.

Nothing.

'_Grandma said it's okay for boys and adults to cry'_

His too deep voice resonated hollowly in her head. It juxtaposed with images of Zant. The usurper knelt beside her throne, hollow eyes blazing with mirth. At that time, Midna waved her advisor to the side, too preoccupied with the shadow prowling in her Twilight. Dark sages swarmed the Royal Library, poring over books long after the last bell tolled through her kingdom. Zant stood faithfully by her side. He stayed till that fateful day, when he single handedly ripped all the ancient magic away from her and diffused the fused shadows in the realm of Light.

Floating upright, the Twilli studied Link, wondering what drove him now. Purpose? Maybe. She was too tired to find out. The human crawled around in the tent, fastening his belt and securing his sword and shield. He parted the tangled mess of his hair and packed their merger belongings without complaining.

Outside, false dawn announced the late presence of the sun, porcelain light bled from the horizon. Shivering, Link grappled with the tent pegs, pulling them out of the sand and collapsing the light brown shelter. Bundling everything, he handed it to Midna and watched fascinatedly as it disappeared into The Cranky Hole.

"You know, I thought Rusl will try and stop me from going in an uninhabited desert." Link hiked, boots slipping on loose sand. "He didn't even bat an eyelid when I said I'm paying the Gerudo Mesa a visit, if anything, he looked happy," he grumbled under his breath, pausing to swig a bottle of water. "The resistance members look so capable, especially Ashei." Midna allowed him to prattle; it kept her mind off things. "She reminds me of you." Link glanced at his too silent companion. "But you are way cooler," he quickly assured. "Doesn't anyone care that I'm going in a desert alone? I could die from dehydration you know." Link kicked a sand beetle and the insect chirped indignantly before taking flight. "And the people of Ordona Village said I'm like a son to them," he pouted and scaled a dune. Broken columns peeked from the sea of sand and he stumbled over their weathered tops. "They all lied to me."

Reaching the crest, Link placed a worn, wooden board underneath his feet and sailed down the incline, Midna dove in his shadow, the sun travelled a quick arc across the sky and it hovered directly above their heads.

Wordlessly, the hero coursed to the desert center, to a large bulblin camp. Over the years, the mesa housed ghosts and monsters. Sand worms popped from beneath and Link scuttled when he spied one. Whenever possible, he killed enemies with his bow and arrow, alas, pottery jars were scarce in the kingdom of sand and replenishing his weapons became a constant struggle.

He was still afraid to use his sword, not that he will admit it in this lifetime, and Link often considered his shadow and the miraculous feat of defeating it. Perhaps if he fell unconscious, the extreme training will take over and he will have one less thing to worry about.

Sweat snaked down his temples and his armpits dampened. Sunlight, too bright and too hot, blinded his eyes. In the distance, he glimpsed water.

_Mirage_, Link thought sadly. "People don't care don't they?" He petulantly kicked a pebble and jumped when a sand worm lunged for his leg. "I mean clearly Rusl _doesn't_ _care_ if I _die_ in a desert," he screamed in frustration and pointed at nothing. "I can't even see the camp, are you sure it exists?" When Midna offered no reply, he ranted, "Yeah, let a twelve year old take care of everyone's problems because that seems so fair! I hate my foster father!" he screeched and wrenched his cap off, "or whatever Rusl is supposed to be, I miss my Grandma."

"He cares about you," Midna resonated in his head and he stopped short, "but he also sees a capable young man able to do what is required of him." Link snorted and rolled his eyes, he rifled through the packs slinging from his waist and tore the wrapper, sinking teeth into a sandwich. "Also, in their eyes you are a twenty or something year old goat herd who regularly stops rampaging goats with bare hands, you are a celebrated swordsman." Link swallowed the lump in his mouth. "And you like to stick your nose in other people's business and help them in any way you can." Midna's tone dropped. "You are a hero."

Cramming the last bit of bread and beef into his mouth, Link dusted his hands free of crumbs and massaged his head. The pounding headache resurfaced.

"I'm not a hero," he mumbled and trundled, legs sinking in a burning, caramel plain. "I'm just a scared and lonely boy."

"And I'm a princess without a Kingdom." Midna echoed and smiled to herself.

_We make a good team._

The sun seemed to stick to its position, directly overhead and scorching the earth callously. Slowing to a crawl, Link huffed, grit caked his eyelashes and his skin turned an angry red. Faltering over a long forgotten foundation of stone, he fell face first into the sand and lay there. A smattering of blisters surfaced on his face and he panted, inhaling dust and centuries of history.

"I'm tired," he gasped. "If I don't stop now, I'll get another fever," he pleaded and Midna surfaced in the harsh brilliance. Her body smoked. Painstakingly, she hauled Link in a patch of shadow, cast by the side of a crumbling, miraculously intact wall. "I'm hun-" the human began and she thrust a bottle of milk in his mouth. Link stayed there, half dozing till the sun set and a freezing cold woke him up. Shivering, he pegged the tent, unfurled the bedrolls and searched for a suitable tabletop.

Lamp dangling in one hand and a woolen blanket draped over his shoulders, he squatted on the freezing ground and held a pen above a sheet of brown paper.

From the sidelines, Midna watched him, a bun in her tiny hands. She halfheartedly nibbled on her supper and stealthily floated to Link. Tonight, her human did not sketch anything; instead, his hand wavered at the top of the page where he scrawled two words:

Dear Grandma.

She waited for the waterfall of tears to slide down his cheeks, irritating an already irritated skin. However, Link bit on his lips and forged, the words spilled clumsily, amidst ink blotches and crossed lines.

_Dear Grandma,_ Midna read. _It's been a long time since I last saw you, I hope you are okay. _An inkblot bloomed on the page._ I'm in a place called Hyrule, there's no ocean or sharks here, just a whole bunch of trees which I don't care about. The flowers make me sneeze and not all of the fruit can be eaten._ Midna sidled closer, unknown to Link._ I have a friend, _he crossed the word out, _an aquiatance,_ _a companion;_ he chewed the top of the pen. _Her name is Midna and_, here Link whipped around, searching for the illusive imp;_ she's tiny and her skin color is all wrong._ A cynical grin surfaced on the Twilli's face._ It's black and white and turquoise and she likes to make fun of me, but she's pretty in a way._

Another long pause.

_Grandma, I miss you and Aryll terribly,_ he wrote, _I cry all the time and I don't get enough to eat. _Link chewed the pen some more._ I'm not twelve anymore, I got stuck inside a man's body, do you remember the person I used to talk about? The one in the mirror?_ The fine hairs on Midna's arm stood on end and she discreetly peered at the bumbling human._ I always admired him for being strong and cool and handsome and now I'm stuck in his body. I'm sure the original Link is really strong, since everyone says so, but I can't keep up. I'm scared and I wanna come home..._

His hand wavered and he put down the pen, unable to carry on.

"Of what use is penning letters to people who will never read them?" Midna asked and Link jumped a foot in the air, he scrambled back and eyed her wildly. "Relax," she drawled, "it's your pretty companion." The human frowned and scratched a blister.

He looked down and Midna nearly left when a hoarse reply stopped her. "Grandma might never read it," the voice trembled, bordering on the edge of a breakdown, "but I'm writing because one day I _will_ go back home and give these letters to her. She and Aryll will read them," his eyes misted, glowing under the faint light of stars, "and we will laugh together."

"Go to sleep, it's getting late." Midna ordered and crawled into her tent. She could sleep in Link's shadow but if the child needed something in the middle of the night, it was up to her to wake up and tend to him. Sighing heavily, she flopped on a flat futon. Cold seeped through the cotton sheets and froze her body.

Some hours later, Link entered the tent, breath puffing in visible clouds. He shivered under the blanket and shuffled around, carefully folding a letter and stowing it in his wallet, the only possession he truly cared about. Satisfied, he pulled off his clothes, flung them in random directions and shivered uncontrollably in a cotton tunic.

Diving in his bedroll, he tossed and turned and eyed Midna. The freezing cold of the desert numbed his entire body. Half rising, he gingerly poked the imp on her cheek and pulled his hand away, suddenly fearful.

When the Twilli failed to morph into a monster worthy of nightmares, he contemplated. "She's asleep," Link whispered, as if such an occurrence seemed impossible. Growing bolder, he huddled closer to her, wrapped his arms around her body and tucked her head in the crook of her skinny neck.

"_What_ are you doing _human?_" Midna growled, she expected the Link to dash out of the tent, tossing apologies in his wake.

"Trying not to feel lonely," he quipped and closed his eyes.

Scowling, Midna lay wide awake, muscles stiff, she only relaxed when soft snores echoed from the human next to her and the air in the tent seemed warm and comforting. The boy's breath brushed over her neck and one heavy arm draped across her body. Midna's eye swiveled to a shock of sand blonde hair, the only thing she could see of Link.

A tear pooled at the corner of her eye and she flicked it. Another bead of water joined the first and before long, her nose watered.

"It's okay to cry," Link muttered sleepily next to her and squeezed her limp hand. "It makes me feel lighter."

Midna did not trust herself to say any words. She fell asleep, tears leaking from a single eyelid.

That night, she dreamed of her people. Of Zelda. Of a future wrapped in warm, golden light.

* * *

He suddenly wished for the desert to stretch endlessly. Eyes roving through the hawkeye, he counted bulblin and bullbo till he ran out of numbers and switched his attention to the watchtowers where more bulblin, holding torches, paraded. The camp appeared like a fortress and despite the chill wind blowing across the desert; Link mopped nervous sweat from his brow. Casually lounging on his shoulder, Midna tossed a cracker in her mouth and poked his cheek, prompting him to relay the results. Pulling off the scope, Link shook his head and gestured frantically, when the imp raised one unimpressed eyebrow, he crumbled to the base of the wooden barrier and reported.

"There are more than fifty of those green skinned monsters, they have swords and arrows," he related and ticked them off his hand. "There are," he fumbled, "lots of watch towers," Link conceded. "And the guards on top are equipped with arrows. There is no cover to sneak under, can't you wrap us inside?"

"If I could, I wouldn't be slogging all the way though a desert with a stinking human," Midna replied, "don't you _dare_ sleep in my futon tonight, I will rip your teeth out."

The adolescent flushed and lowered the hawkeye. "It's not like there's water out here so I can bath," he grumbled. "I miss smelling like ocean spray." He swept his gaze around the camp, noting a ring of bulblin grilling a hunk of meat over a spitfire. "What do you think they are roasting?" Link asked eagerly, mouth-watering and head rising for a clearer view. "It looks tasty."

Midna calculated the distance between the camp's inner ring and the outer towers guarding it, she squinted and more towers shimmered on the horizon. "Probably a human leg." The Twilli grinned suggestively when Link's mouth opened in horror. "What?" she shrugged, "they are monsters, they are not above eating humans you know." A bulblin archer on the foremost tower scanned the dusty horizon and Link ducked behind the barrier. "Snipe them from your position," Midna ordered. "We can thin their numbers and throw them into confusion. And make sure you aim for their heart and important organs, piercing a finger is not going to kill those hulking brutes," she added.

Counting the arrows in his quiver, Link's face twisted.

"Not enough arrows," he announced and nocked his bow, "but I'll make do with what I have."

Two bulblin manned each watchtower, rotating on a tight schedule. The world appeared restricted in the hawkeye and Link checked their positions again. Near the back, where the camp ended and the sand sloped upwards to an elevated canyon, he discovered a single platform with an olive skinned bulblin keeping a strict watch. Steadying his hands, Link aimed for him and let the arrow fly. To his dismay, it fell short, striking the watchtower's wooden support.

Biting his lip, Link strung another arrow and this one embedded in a forehead, piercing though a thin, tin helmet. Commotion erupted in the camp. The bullbo pulled on their tethers and the bulblin searched frantically for the elusive sniper.

Holding his breath, Link fired and another one bit the dust.

Flecks of rust splattered on sand.

Another layer of bloody history.

Keeping behind the barrier, Link sidled to the west and picked off the enemies one by one. Pandemonium reigned supreme and the bulblin resorted to civil conflict, blaming each other in guttural tongues and drawing swords. Chained to stakes in the ground, the humongous bullbo snorted and stamped, stabbing anyone veering too close. Holding a wary eye on them, Link reached for another arrow in his quiver and his hands brushed empty air.

Slinging the bow, he stared at the gale boomerang and pondered.

Midna phased into view. "Don't even think about it," she warned. "In a dust storm, you are more vulnerable than they are." Deflating, Link reluctantly drew the Master Sword; he pressed his mouth against the cool blade and tested its weight. "Instead of kissing cold, dead metal, find a warm cheek to press your lips on," the imp cackled and pulled his ear. "…Why do you do it?" Her tone grew serious, her eye searching.

Crawling behind the barricade, he replied, "I don't know. I think, I don't want to forget my shadow. And kissing the blade makes me confident," he frowned, "don't ask why, I can't explain." Shrugging, Midna disappeared and he swallowed nervously.

Dust clouds obscured the air but the sounds of fighting and spearing resonated through the sandstorm.

Lunging, Link hammered the pommel of his sword into a bulblin and the monster reeled, but not before swinging a spiked club. The metal studs bashed against his temple, penetrating skin and bone. Howling, he staggered backwards and touched his head, eyes widening at the scarlet staining his fingers. An arrow whistled near his foot and he jumped. Sword lessons and rebukes tumbled in his mind, a never ending cycle and he tried to drown the heavy disappointment in the ghost's voice.

_Pathetic!_ He heard the shade roar.

Link squatted when the club aimed for his head again, righting the sword, he drove the tip under the bulblin's chin and quickly withdrew when blood sprayed from an artery. Holding his breath against the stench of death, the hero followed his instincts, slicing off an arm, thrusting the blade between ribs and shrieking involuntarily when blood speckled his boots. He circled the camp, using the confusion and dust to his advantage. The smell of charred meat permeated the air and black smoke ballooned upwards. A strike to the face with the hilt of his sword snapped heads back, and he used the split second to swipe a bloody blade across an exposed jugular.

The dust storm settled and he stared in horror at the corpses littering the base. Averting his eyes from the mangled bodies, he ogled the cooking meat; fortunately for him, it was not a human leg. When he came close to examine the food, a bullbo snorted at him threateningly.

"Are you honestly eating that?" Disgust gleamed in Midna's eye and she shook her head. "That's a monster you are munching on." She surveyed the base, poking inert corpses and noting the placement of more wooden barriers.

Slicing the meat into neat strips, Link packed them away for future lunch and suppers. Possibly breakfasts as well. He killed the fire and lamented the other, inedible side. Grandma said never to waste food. Drowning a bottle of water and using the remaining handful to clean the crimson crusts matting his hair, he joined Midna at the barrier, unsure what they searched for.

"What do I do now?" he asked.

The imp grinned, her fang glinting in late sunlight. "Now you get on one of those," she pointed to the bullbo and Link paled, "and smash through the barriers to get to a prison haunted by ghosts."

"Just to make sure." Link stuffed another piece of meat in his mouth, it did not taste so good anymore. "You are not joking right?" he probed and crumpled to the floor, moaning about Grandma and elixir soup.

He did not need an answer; the conniving smile on Midna's face told him everything.

* * *

**A/N:** Drunk Link, imagining him and writing him was…fun. Midna is faced with a crisis now; she handles depression by not thinking about it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and healing is a painful process.

At Reaper4425: Thank you for your review

Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Roasted monster meat to all those to take the time to read, thank you for your support


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**The unseen**

The last time Link mounted a bullbo, he was desperately trying to save Colin from King Bulblin. The monster stank like rotten fruit and he distinctly remembered plunging his sword into the base of the bulblin's neck and threatening it. Head snapping left and right, Link considered his options, the wooden barrier will not break by itself and he did not possess the means to shatter it.

Sure, Midna could work her magic and tear it apart but the imp simpered disturbingly and jerked her head towards the giant pig things.

They glared at Link, daring the little man to come closer. Shuffling, he maintained his distance and compared the hulking, ugly brown creatures to the cute piglets back at Sera's pig pen. Holding his breath, Link held his arms out in the universal gesture of _I mean no harm_ and approached. One swung its head sideways and yellow tusks caught him under the armpits, tearing a sizeable portion of the tunic. Gurgling, Link bolted backwards and touched the torn tunic, his fingers met chainmail.

"Look what it did!" he exploded, "this hero's tunic is way cooler than the one Grandma gave me and that _thing_ tore it!" He pointed an outraged finger at the monster pawing the ground. Crossing arms over a broad chest he pouted, "I'm not mounting that _thing_, I'm calling Epona." He raised the horse's call to his lips but Midna snatched it and leveled a commanding glower at him. Mumbling, Link slunk from behind, grabbed the sticky, leather belts fastening the saddle and hoisted up. Gathering the reigns, he squeezed his legs against the bullbo's flank and the beast obeyed. "Hey, it's like riding Epona," Link declared and squeezed harder, the monster charged forward and pulled short when the stake refused to unearth from the ground.

Only sheer luck prevented Link from flying over and knocking himself unconscious on the wooden barrier.

Hair morphing, Midna eased the stake and expertly drilled it through the other bullbo's head. If the bullbo were sad to see one of their friends die, they did not show it.

Unrestricted, the bullbo stampeded without further prompting and smashed through the barrier while the tiny human atop it, shrilled uncontrollably. Tossing left and right, Link fought for control as he hung on for dear life. A particularly vicious buckle tossed him in the air and seconds later, he ate sand as the bullbo escaped, free to wreak havoc in the Gerudo Mesa.

Getting up, Link scowled at his retreating ride. The sun dipped and darkness claimed the surroundings, bathing it with an unearthly chill. Teeth chattering, he perked when a wooden shack glowed with the welcoming, honey hues of a fire and desperate for heat, he rushed towards it.

The door blew apart in his face and stepped to the side, blood freezing at the sight of an axe, scarred and crusted with red. The blade rested at the tip of his boot clad toes.

King Bulblin emerged from the warm shack, revenge and spite throbbing from its battle worn features. Inching backwards, Link exhaled rapidly. His chest closed. Air escaped him. The monster before him scared him senseless and yet...

He felt calm.

Sliding the sword out of its sheath, he quickly kissed the blade and dodged a blow to his ribs.

Grunting, King Bulblin spun the hefty axe above his head and the air stirred Link's cap. Still spinning the blade, the monster clobbered Link and punched out of breath, he flew backwards, landing inside the shack amongst a collection of barrels and crates.

Phosphenes danced in his eyes and he shook his head, reaching up to stop the descending momentum of a huge silver axe and everything went black.

Midna emerged, creeping behind King Bulblin. Before her, Link lay in a tangled heap, a smoked fish cradled in his lap and one arm dipped in a barrel of cheese wheels. His head, resting against the back wall, sported tracks of dried blood. Another hand, missing three fingers, lay in a puddle of brine.

The imp cursed.

She wrenched the axe out of King Bulbin's astonished grasp and waited for the dimwitted creature to turn and acknowledge her. When the helmeted nuisance finally rotated, she buried the blade in its left arm, near the shoulder and the monster eyed her with palpable hate. Like Zant. Before she finished him for good, the stove exploded and the wooden hut caught fire. Eyes glinting victoriously, the beast pulled away and Midna dove for Link, groping the smoking floor for his missing appendages.

* * *

"Stiches hurt," Link commented and swallowed his tears. He woke up to a hand missing three fingers and instead of screaming his head off, he thought about how privileged he was not to lose his entire arm. Sitting on the sandstone steps leading to Arbiter's ground, he tried not to twitch each time the needle went in and out of his skin. It hurt but the potion he sipped, dampened the biting edge of the sting.

Flexing his fingers when the operation finished, he stood by a burning lamp and warmed his body. In the dim glow of a waning moon, the colossal prison threw a lattice of shadows on the ground. Threadbare flags hung limp. Like me, Link mused and massaged his numb hand. He trudged back to the steps and sat next to Midna who toyed with the shadow crystal. The spiral of rock with orange veins induced a wave of unpleasant memories and he shook his head, unappreciative.

"I'm not using that," he stoutly said. "I don't want to turn into a wolf again, it's painful."

"You must." Midna pressed and he opened his mouth to argue. "I mentioned it before, Arbiter's grounds is home to vengeful spirits, you cannot see them as a human therefore you must turn into a wolf to vanquish them." The human shivered. "I can't do this alone," the Twilli confessed, "believe me; I would never willingly drag you around on this deadly quest."

Link noticed sorrow from Midna and decided he hated it. "I'm not so sure about the dragging part," he retorted and she pulled his ear. "You like torturing people," he pouted. "You like torturing me."

She grinned. "I'm glad you understand me so intimately."

* * *

Sand reigned supreme inside the circular prison and the colossal foyer, swamped with a foreboding mist and empty, golden braziers, lacked a definite presence. Paws aching, Link sniffed the corners of pillars and scratched them. The outer layer of sand eroded to reveal a muted, golden brilliance underneath. Bored, he explored, nosing in cracks and licking unidentified substances. A tint of permanent decay hung in the air and giant cockroaches skittered to safety when a blue grey wolf approached.

A short flight of stairs led to a platform and here Midna turned, trying to unravel the mysteries of an archaic civilization. Bronze dishes once shimmered with fire, robed figures strode through these halls, clutching scrolls and imprisoning the region's most ruthless prisoners.

One upon a time, Ganondorf met his end at this very place.

But now, grime filled the cracks. Inches and inches of dust covered historic reliefs and no fire danced in the braziers. Floating to one of them, the Twilli wiped a finger across the surface and grimaced while Link informed her of his discoveries in high pitched barks. Scrubbing gave way to precious metal and running her hands in the dish, an idea occurred to her.

"We should light these up," she called to Link as he dashed past, racing after an unfortunate scorpion. "Link." The sacred wolf ignored her and pawed a crack in the wall, an army of ants poured from the space and he reared back, whining. "Link, stop fooling around and come here," Midna commanded to no avail.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

She grabbed and dangled him high in the air, smirking when his pupils dilated in fear. The wolf trembled uncontrollably in his grasp and Midna searched the empty space he ogled. "What is it?" she snapped, "I doubt you are looking at me." The broken manacle attached to his paw rattled as he pointed to an area several meters left of her. "There is nothing there," she scrutinized a sand covered floor, "except sand and rats and the occasional scorpion."

He shook his head vehemently, piercing flashing in the gloom. _Ghost_, barked Link. _I can see a ghost._

The imp dropped him and in the seconds it took to land on the platform surrounded by unlit sconces, Midna's hair morphed into a spear, the orange tip stabbed through a pulsing core of purple and the specter vanished. When he landed on the floor, one of the braziers flared to life, a ghostly blue flame pirouetting in the dish. Midna grinned, fang poking from beneath her top lip and Link saw it as a cue to run for his life.

Unfortunately, things never went according to his plan.

Three ghost busting sessions later, (Link swore he could not feel his teeth anymore, those things were so cold!) the duo returned to the foyer. Cyan light played on the walls, illuminating intricately carved arches. Head down, Link skirted the platform, too afraid of the pale white light resonating from above. A gut wrenching sensation coiled in his stomach and he slunk up the stairs, nails dragging across sandstone.

Wreathed in blue flames, a towering ghost, scythe resting on its neck, restlessly prowled in circles, its hollow eyes fixated on the sacred wolf. For a minute, phantom and flesh stared. The ghost's hood slicked back, revealing a rotting face and stained teeth and Link jumped when the scythe sparked against the floor.

He spun around, trying hard not to focus on the thing's neck, where a human skull hung as a necklace, instead, he watched the whirling scythe. Air swooshed across his back and blue grey fur floated to the floor. Snarling, Link searched the main body for a pulsing heart of mauve but he found no such core beating within the ghost.

A glass lantern appeared in the apparition's skeletal hand and it bashed Link on the ribs. Wheezing, he retreated to the platform's edge. Physical assaults will not work. Each time he wrenched the curved blade out of its hand, it rematerialized.

The pale white light grew darker. Link waited.

The ghost whacked on concrete and sliced shadows. It smacked its weapon against metal but the scythe never tasted flesh.

At long last, a dark purple aura diffused from the center and Link howled, lunging for the core. Teeth met blade, the corner of his lips tore and he swerved to the side, sticking jaws over a beating heart. Ripping the core out of the body with a sound of tearing flesh, he clamped harder and the quivering ball imploded, releasing an icy breath in the foyer, Link inhaled deeply, the cold froze his lungs. Inside the prison, he detected the faint presence of more poe souls. Running a tongue over torn lips, he padded to the gate leading deeper into the dungeon and the whiff of ice hit him like a wall.

Great, now he could sniff and pinpoint ghosts.

Arms and legs elongating, Link tottered upright and cupped a hand around his forehead to catch the shadow crystal as it eased out of his body. As Midna promised, the transformation hurt less but he still hated it. Sniffing the air, he coughed when a cloud of dust entered his throat and sneezed several times a row. The imp materialized, handed him a wad of tissue and vanished. Masking his nose, Link held his lantern and surveyed the interior of Arbiter's grounds, eyes roving over expanses of smooth walls and sand. No moss covered the brickwork and he cautiously moved forward, ears pricking at a soft rustling.

Deeper into the dungeon, the walls crumbled into heaps of golden sandstone; rust gnawed metallic tracks. Kicking the steel grids running across walls and curving over the ground, Link walked out of a room containing a giant metallic pillar, Midna's appearance stopped him.

"It's just a giant, rusted gear thing," he pouted, neck craned eagerly to the next chamber. The sooner he finished sweeping the grounds, the faster he could go home. "I bet it doesn't work," he kicked the gear and bit down a scream when pain flared in his toes. Disinterested, Link squatted in a corner, rifling through the sand for buried treasure. He sneezed again and paused midway in muttering a curse.

Rotating around the column, Midna touched the protruding lever and examined the room. Circular and long, like a tube. Link's constant sneezes grated on her nerves but she let the brat be. A single groove spiraled the length of the tube like chamber and she examined it critically. Some device fit into this thing, she knew and balled her palms into fists, straining to recall what she learnt about Arbiter's grounds.

It was a prison.

Long before Link and Zelda came into being, the sages kept Ganondorf prisoner here before banishing him into the Twilight Realm.

He killed one of the sages and stole their sword.

From there, traffic between Twilight and Hyrule slowed to a crawl, the bridge between the worlds; the Mirror of Twilight, was guarded zealously by the sages of Light. They controlled everything, regulated the diminishing magic in Hyrule and inserted themselves into the Royal Family.

The flourishing Gerudo civilization fell into disarray. Strict boarder control prevented them from setting foot outside and seeking mates. The population of the country steadily decline, even more so when the children were taken by the Royal Family of Hyrule and never returned.

Arbiter's grounds echoed with the cries of the wronged. People rarely maintained it. Guards fled, terrified by the nightmares and stories.

The dungeon collapsed; the prisoners perished. In present time, the screams petered to vengeful whispers.

It became a refuge for ghosts.

Sighing, Midna examined the tracks again, she briefly recalled how the wardens traversed Arbiter's grounds in days of old; they used intricate gear systems and spinning platforms. Floating away, she viewed the corkscrew pillar in new light and called the idling human, pointing to the pillar she said, "That thing there is a lever," she gestured to the off white slab of stone jutting from the base, "if you push it, the entire room will rotate and take us up or down."

Blinking stupidly, Link positioned himself. He groaned and complained and strained against the lever as it adamantly refused to move. Soil lodged the mechanisms into place and he screeched a war cry and scrabbled for a footing on the floor before the lever gave way and completed a rotation.

"That..." the human panted, "was tiring." He mopped sweat from his forehead and ogled a curved archway leading to a darkened chamber. "...It stinks." Link offered before stepping into a dim room. "I'm gonna go light the torches," he announced and ran off, feet pounding on stone.

Midna watched darkness swallow his retreating back.

Humans grew too quickly. They matured too quickly.

And they died when you least expected it.

She looked at her veins, glowing faintly. By Twilli standards, she was young. Much older than Zelda, but still young.

Light bled into darkness. Steel bars glinted from several sides of the room and as the torches blazed brighter, the cells grew clearer. Definite. Link, exuberance deflating, stood next to Midna, arms hanging limply by the sides. Tatters of clothing and ivory skulls, stripped of flesh, started forlornly from behind the steel cages. Clapping a palm over his mouth, the adolescent weakly hobbled to a corner, citing he did not want to see skeletons.

Lips pressed into a thin line, Midna warped inside the cells, the craniums belonged to both man and beast. A few of the skulls contained horns jutting from the front or back, and incisors too long to fit inside a human's mouth. Firelight gleamed over bones and she picked up a small skull.

The rounded cranium fractured in her hands.

Sand swamped the next chambers and orange torches blazed. The blinding brilliance prompted the imp to seek refuge in Link's shadow. Alone and apprehensive, he fisted his gale boomerang and stalked, eyes peeled for dangers. Boots travelled across broken stone. Ancient gates refused to move and he spent precious hours cleaning dirt between rusted cogs. Levers disengaged in shaky spurts the handles rubbed his hands raw. Tumbling in a majestic room, Link disinterestedly eyed a gigantic, gold leafed statue and scratched his behind while Midna hissed informative tidbits in his ear. Spitting a mouthful of sand and saliva at the foot of the statue, he exited the room and turned right, as per the Twilli's orders.

A persistent itch irritated his shoulder and it relocated to his face; scratching frantically, Link exasperatedly rubbed his calf, loosened his belt and reached underneath his tunic to scratch his abdomen, not stopping till blood crusted his nails.

"What are you doing?" Midna demanded as he pulled the tunic and struggled with the chainmail. "It will be sunset soon; I doubt you want to walk naked in this freezing prison." Her face twisted when Link reached for his pants.

Teeth gritted, he scraped his chest. "My entire body feels like it's being bitten," he complained. "It's," he sat on the platform and pulled off his boots, "itching like no tomorrow. Ahh, that feels good." Link swung an arm over his back and scored pink lines and blood. "What's happening to me? Am I dying?"

"Not on my watch," the Twilli growled and hammered the shadow crystal in his forehead. The human morphed into a surprised wolf and his eyes rolled upwards. "Don't faint on me." Midna callously pulled his ear and he grimaced, biting the air and shaking ghosts off his coat. Half an hour passed and she yawned as the sacred wolf battled with demons reserved for his eyes. Panting, he transformed back into a human and applied ointment to his scratches. "So? What attacked you?"

Link swallowed. "Ghoul rats," he replied and horror lurked at the edges of ice blue irises.

Deeper in the prison, strips of punctured metal interjected corridors of stone. Head stuffed with thoughts of food, Link raised his leg over one such strip, thinking nothing of it. The moment his foot descended, a dozen spikes erupted under his boot and screeching, he hopped backwards, clutching his foot. Glaring at the strip with a newly found disdain, he sprang over the metallic strips and ran into a low wall.

Midna clucked her tongue and faced a disturbance cropping in the edge of her vision. A stalfos. Grinning wickedly, she indicated the animated skeleton and Link tossed a windstorm in the sand.

Holding the gale boomerang, he ran when the stalfos disintegrated into fragments of bone and whirled along the tornado of soil, wind and green leaves. He quickly scampered past a re-dead, shuddering exaggeratedly at their bandage swathed corpses. Still running, Link hurtled into a puddle of sand and Midna floated airily past him.

"I'm stuck." The human wriggled feebly and the sand sucked him faster. The imp ignored him and consulted a map. "Midna, really, I'm stuck," Link related in a high pitched voice. "The sand is eating me." He pointed to the liquid sand and his waist inched downwards. "Help." His voice dropped to a desperate whisper and the Twilli sighed, she reached to grasp him upwards but the quicksand did not relinquish its grasp so easily. "Whatever you are trying to do," the human gasped, "please do it quickly, my lungs are getting crushed." The sticky, gritty brown inched over his chest and he craned his neck upward.

Midna grunted and pulled, instead of rising, he sunk further. "This is why you don't go playing in sandboxes," she barked and Link eyeballed her incredulously. The last time he checked, sandboxes didn't swallow people whole. "Stop wriggling; if you stay still I might be able to get you out."

"Didn't the map tell you anything about this?" The adolescent's voice bordered on hysteria. "Jabun, I think I'm stepping on skeletons," he wailed. "Get me out of here! Don't these temples and prisons come with tour guides and warning signs?"

Quicksand brushed Link's chin and he gaped, eyes so wide, light reflected in his sclera. "Shut up for a moment and let me do my job," the imp commanded in a strangely calm voice and Link quieted, body going limp. The sinking momentum stopped and her hair gingerly looped around the human's arms and shoulders. Bit by bit, the sand surrendered its hold and he rose, relieved tears streaking his face. Tunic crusted and damp, he flopped on the other side of pit and breathed deeply, muttering prayers to the deities. Shaking her head, Midna tapped him on the shoulder. "This prison uses small spinning platforms known as spinners; one of them is situated in the Mid-boss chamber." Link paled. "And we need it to get to the top." Her human grumbled under his breath. "The mid-boss is a creature known as the Death Sword," The Twilli informed, "and it is an accumulation of all the hatred and bloodlust of the prisoners who perished inside this dungeon."

A long silence stretched between the two.

Haunting footfalls echoed on stone.

Shadows capered on crumbling walls.

Body quivering, Link entered a circular chamber and petrified at the cat's cradle of rope holding a monolith of black metal off the ground. Paper charms, surfaces stained crimson, ran along the restraints and he hesitantly brushed his finger across one. The paper's edge cut a line on his palm and he wiped the blood.

Circling the suspended sword, Link admired the runes etched on the obsidian blade. He could not use such a heavy blade but it did not stop his imagination from running wild. _Mountains and enemies crushed under a single swipe_. The stalfos inside Arbiter's grounds would turn into white dust. Smiling childishly, he navigated the maze of ropes and reached for the handle, fingers freezing when it touched the ebony pommel. Heart pounding, he crawled backwards, tripped on a piece of low lying lariat and landed in a tangle.

The strings tore.

The paper charms ignited one by one, burning into scraps of ash. Fear clogging his throat, Link observed the sword rising upright.

Breath hitching, he whipped out his shield when the Death Sword rocketed into him. The aegis dented, but it prevented Link from turning into a heroic corpse. Belatedly, he realized arrows and boomerangs will fail against the colossal blade. Heart sinking, he reached for his sword and compared the two weapons.

What will his toothpick of a Master Sword do against the Demon's blade?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Drink poison lightly**

Oxygen starved, Link hacked with his sword, uncaring if he offended any of the resident Koroks by tearing through the vegetation. For a few, glorious seconds, he was free from the burden of guilt and it felt good to mindlessly slice. Fleshy tendrils hit the ground and sap squirted over him, renewing the overbearing tint of camphor and pine. The seconds passed and Link deeply ashamed for wreaking mindless havoc, lowered the blade

He sheathed the sword and carefully swept the plants apart. The vines halted in their attempting to throttle him. Clambering over knotty woods and navigating through twisting mazes of green, the boy eventually stumbled into a wider space. About to dive back into the leafy innards of Forest Haven, Link paused.

The Korok Village lay before him.

Plastering a polite smile, he skipped above a winding stream, plucked mulberries from a low growing tree and examined the tree huts. Koroks emerged from their homes, leaf faces twisted into mild delight or indifference. Reading the signs leading to each home, he greeted the cautious race genially and prowled around the shops.

A large green tent, Hollo's Potions, offered a wide selection of berry brews and potions and seeing the two Korok, Link flushed, recalling his drunken episode. Hollo grinned and gestured to a giant glass tankard swirling with golden potion and the human shook his head. "No thanks, my boat," he said, anger bubbling in his chest, "can't drink. And..." he hesitantly disclosed, "I was pretty drunk." He scratched his head. "What was in there?"

"Opium," the shorter Korok replied and stirred a pot. "It clashes horribly with the raw coffee pods we mix in," Link clutched his heart, wondering how he survived the mixture. "Our mutated physiology allows us to drink it without much harm," both Korok eyed the human concernedly, "but since you were heavily wounded in the Forbidden Woods, we gave you half a cup and you demanded more." The forest child shivered. "Humans are scary."

The cherry red mixture in the cauldron bubbled, swamping the workshop in a fruity aroma. Link sniffed, inhaling peaches and strawberries.

Bowing politely to them, he exited the tent with a jar of red liquid. Slurping it with a straw, Link unloaded his sack and explored. The Korok village occupied a small area and the huts were hollowed from gigantic redwoods towering in this portion of the magical forest. Briefly forgetting about his all-consuming task of finding poison and rushing for the next pearl; he climbed some trees, popping unexpectedly at glass-less windows and scaring the residents inside. Smiling apologetically, Link waved their invitations away and snapped photos of the village. A sudden thought flooded his mind. Sitting on the highest accessible branch, with the ground and an emerald carpet of grass roughly fifty meters below him, he pointed the camera lens at himself and grinned.

Snap.

The white flash blinded him for a heartbeat but a colorful pictograph whirred out of the slot and fell in his lap.

A skew smile bloomed on his lips at the picture of a boy with half closed eyes, sitting in a backdrop of greenery. He looked like an idiot.

An idiot without responsibilities.

Sobering, Link scaled down the redwood, toes brushing against moss and rough, copper bark. Leaf ants swarmed over his legs and he startled a beetle sunning itself on the trunk. Feet firmly rooted in grass, he solemnly trotted to the shaded area, retrieved his belongings and marched into the poison shop.

Situated on an elevated, grassy plain, the house warned others away with a large, colorful sign. Toxic plants grew around the hut, thatched with a roof of golden straw and Link shivered at the shiny, deadly nightshade berries and thanked the Goddesses for not mistaking them for harmless blueberries. The door creaked open on brass hinges and a caustic smell wafted from the interior. Blinking at the sudden tears gathering at his eyes, Link shuffled to the counter, corner of his mouth twitching subtly when he laid his eyes on a row of jars, all containing deadly elixirs.

He smiled.

"Don't grin like that!" the Korok manning the counter snapped and Link dropped his chin in a cupped hand, grinning unashamedly. "These poisons are not for sale, we do not give them to humans." Muttering, the squatty forest child disappeared, its head rotor whirling noisily.

"You promised," Link reminded the irate Korok and he reappeared, scowling. "And if you do not give them to humans, what are they used for?" the boy asked.

Hovering upwards, the Korok selected several jars and lined them on the counter. "We trade them with the Rito," he explained. "They use them to coat their spears and daggers for hunting monsters in the volcano they live on. They have a rite of passage and so the youngsters benefit greatly if they can take down the beasts with minimal effort." Link scrutinized the jars. Light green, pale orange and colorless tints reflected his eyes. "Long ago, we sold them to mountain people as well. They were known as Gorons, but the race became extinct...You can take whatever you want, I don't want payment," the Korok grumbled.

"I hardly know anything," Link confessed and pushed the jars. "Give me the deadliest one."

"…Conium." The Korok reached for the highest shelf and cradled a giant jar rippling with lime green water. "This produces neuromuscular blockage and if it reaches the lungs, the person may die from asphyxiation. In lethal does, it acts instantaneously." The jar ominously clinked on the polished wooden counter and Link watched the Korok handle a carved ceramic ladle and artistically pour the green poison from one container to the other. "Mind telling me what you'll be using this for?"

Link examined the liquid death currently rolling in his palms. "Business," he brusquely replied and dipped his head. "Thank you, I won't bother you again."

The door to the hut shut with a final echoing bang.

Outside, Link stashed the bottled in the deepest part of his backpack and shouldered the sack. It weighed heavier than he thought. Waving to the Korok folk who came to their windows, he bid them farewell and dragged his feet across a dirt path, cleared from invasive plants. A gate, garlanded in forest wildflowers, swung closed behind him. Wooden posts, hammered deep into the earth, directed him to the world outside and he obediently followed, mouth souring when a sign pointed to the Deku Tree clearing. Link turned right and the path winded through trees, low lying roots and he emerged along the banks of the spring. The waters gurgled and he trailed it to the delta. Hopping from one platform to the other, the hero swung down a miniature waterfall and the song of the forest hummed in his ears. Staring suspiciously at the curtain of frothing water, Link reminded himself of Nayru's pearl and trudged to the pier. He emerged amidst a tangle of shrubs, eyes widening at a magnificent vessel moored to the jetty.

He counted three masts, numerous sails billowed in the wind and a gangplank thudded on the pier. Streams of people, dressed in gaudy, tourist fashion, waltzed down, hefting pictoboxes and snapping frenziedly. Waving courteously at them, Link sidestepped, he curved around the treacherous beach, swarming with leeches and mangrove roots, and carefully picked his way to the King of Red Lions, bobbing solitarily in a cove.

Chest heavy, he approached the boat silently. A ghost without presence. Link faltered when a cyan stone on the deck lit up, he checked his Pirate's charm and frowned. Crawling closer, he stopped at the stern, ears pricked at the monotone bleeding from the stone.

"Where is he?" the voice asked and Link grasped his sword's comforting hilt. "And what is he doing now?" the tone continued, morbidly bland. "Don't let me remind you what is at stake here."

The King of Red Lions stayed still, despite the surging waves. "The agreement is off," the boat declared. "You are freed from your duty, from now one, the boy and I will conduct our businesses without outside interference." The distant chatter from the tourist group buzzed at the back of Link's head and he inhaled sharply, unappreciative of being the focus of such a clandestine conversation. "Leave us be. If you want to continue your work, you may do so, however," the figurehead's tone wavered, "do not report to me."

A spell of silence shattered the secrets shared between two individuals. "It seems," Link imagined smugness creeping into the voice from the stone, "you have grown fond of this young boy, Daphnes."

_Daphnes?_ The said boy mouthed and stared at the red boat.

"I thought you abandoned your sentiments. Did the antics of an eleven year old child rekindle memories?" The wind skipped over ocean waves, spraying white foam across the boat's lacquered surface. "Perhaps he reminds you of your own chi-"

Link jumped into the boat and punted the stone off deck. It landed with a soft plop in the water.

The King of Red Lions whipped around to Link unloading his backpack in the corner, rifling through its contents and packing newly acquired charts away. An uncomfortable pause stretched between them and the watercraft's painted eyes followed the lone figure puttering on deck.

"Link..."

The boy worried his wallet's drawstrings before wrenching the mouth apart. He extracted an ancient map and gently stored it in a waterproof trunk. "You told others about me." Link finally turned, charcoal eyes accusing. "I trusted you and you told others where I come from. They _pity_ me," he snarled, palms clenching into fists.

Head hanging low with a mournful creak, the King of Red Lions admitted, "Yes. However, I only told three deities." The choppy waters tossed the passenger and boat but none noticed, too focused on each other. "Valoo, who is indebted to you. The Great Deku Tree and Jabun. We are friends, I trust them with my life and I hoped to make this journey easier for you."

Silvers of anger danced in Link's eyes and he reached for his sharpening stone, working his resentment by thinning the blade and testing it on his palm.

"Don't hurt yourself." The boat nodded and the human wiped the dribble of blood. "I apologize if this has angered you. But, you must cast aside your pride and seek help. You are not in an adult body and during your journey, you shall meet many barriers to your goal, during these times, you should allow a greater authority to help you."

The awful scraping noise stopped. Distant chatter and song filled the silent space and Link glared at the boat.

"Pride?" he hissed and chortled mirthlessly. "I am not doing this out of pride. This is my duty," he jabbed a thumb to his chest, "I _inherited_ it. It is my _birthright_. It is what I _live_ for." He stomped to the waterproof trunk and rifled through it, bringing out the map. "Where do I go to find Nayru's pearl?" The question seeped through clenched teeth. "Sealing Ganondorf takes priority over all things."

"Even at the cost of your life?" the boat asked and Link adjusted the sail.

"Even at the cost of my life." he replied firmly. Poisonous dedication shining in the depths of inkwell irises.

* * *

Looking up from the tea stained pages of a sailor's journal; Link shaded his eyes and stood. The book clattered on deck and he traipsed to the bow, swaying in tandem to the waves. "I see Forest Haven," the boy pointed to a towering tree swirling with phosphorescent dots. "Why are we going in circles?" he scathingly demanded.

Instead of replying, the King of Red Lions cut through the water, sailing back to the uninhabited portion of Forest Haven. The human on deck seethed but refused to comment. Sun roasted Link's skin into an angry red and his eyes restlessly skipped over words. When he came across a particularly long and difficult one, he read it loudly and the King of Red Lions corrected any wayward pronunciation. The boat sped to the south eastern side, dominated by sheer cliffs of vegetation, and bumped to a gentle stop.

Lilac and salmon pink splayed across the ocean's surface and Link drunk in the view for half a second before striding to the bow. He scrambled up the curved figurehead and leaned over, head hanging upside down in front of the dragon's paint peeled features. For such a mature boy, he displayed odd instances of childishness.

"Before you scold me, I spotted a seagull nest in those cliffs. You said you tame falcons, I want to see if you can do the same with seagulls," the King of Red Lions clarified and Link's face twisted in disbelief. "Also, Beedle's trading boat will arrive in these waters after moonrise and I think you mentioned something about dwindling supplies." The boat offered and Link huffed, he slid off the figurehead and lay in a heap in the bow. "Too angry to entertain me?"

Springing, Link grabbed a Hyoi pear from the food storage. "I tame falcons because they have excellent hunting instincts. Taming seagulls is a waste of time." He grudged and placed the pear in an outstretched palm. Grabbing the mast, he stood perfectly still. "Falcons are birds of prey, never show any fear and never," Link stressed, "take their food away from them." A seagull screeched nearby and dove before rising upwards. No displeasure twitched on his face and the boat admired the boy's calm.

The bird, white feathers a beacon against a darkening sky, swooped again and curiously circled the straw haired human. It landed on Link's forearm and pecked the pear, squawking a cacophony. The sour fruit disintegrated in a matter of minutes and the seagull soared; rotating at a short distance for more treats.

A tiny grin surfaced on Link's face and he stuck his hand in the food chest, retrieving a handful of berries. He also unearthed a leaf whistle, pressed it against his mouth and blew. "Sounds horrible," Link commented offhandedly before resuming the whistling.

Gradually, the discordant notes fashioned into a song and the bird dove for the food again.

By midnight, Link, silhouetted against the moon, called a seagull by playing the leaf whistle.

A trading barge, topped with a giant lantern, sailed soundlessly through the waters and Link twisted as it passed. The seagull on his arm screeched and flew off and the tangerine glow of the boat, coiled the boy's stomach into funny knots. Unused to the feeling, he exchanged a glance with the King of Red Lions, grabbed his wallet and jumped. Miscalculating the distance, Link dived into the water, surfaced and sputtered confusedly. Sweeping his sodden fringe off his forehead, he clambered the wooden steps leading to the deck, wrung his tunic and entered the deckhouse.

Candles illuminated a bare chested figure. Chilled by the unintentional dip in the sea, Link wrapped arms around himself and shivered when Beedle smiled.

Ebony irises critically scanned the items on display.

Bottles of potion, luminous red and blue liquid, sloshed gently with the rise and fall of the boat. Waterproof baskets stacked on top of each other. Hiking the raised partition, Link's gaze hopped over food; Hyoi pears, skins bruised, clamored for space in a drum. In the adjacent trunk, stacks of smoked meat, cheese and biscuits lay side by side. Fruit, piled in little, colorful triangles glistened in half light and wisps of smoke curled from behind a thick tapestry, bathing the deckhouse in hints of jasmine. Shuffling towards the dark corners, Link hooked chubby fingers behind the thick curtain and lifted it. An elaborate incense burner crouched on the wooden floor, smoke curling from the perforated top. The white tendrils evaporated on meeting air. Letting the tapestry drop, Link lumbered back to Beedle, whose face froze in an enigmatic smile in the half light of the candles.

"Aren't you cold?" Link scowled. "I'm really cold." Beedle laughed, in the light of day, he appeared friendly. But at night, he presented a foreboding aura. "And why do all of you look _exactly_ the same?" the hero enquired, examining identical features from the corner of his eyes.

"That's a secret." Beedle smiled. A row of pearls. "Would you like to buy something?"

* * *

**A/N:** I have no idea why I made Beedle creepy. I doubt seagulls can be tamed; those things can be quite a nuisance, diving for your food as you are eating it. Give them a few crumbs and they will fight over it and bust your eardrums while they're at it.

Anyway, please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated and seashores are surprisingly calming.

At AkabaneKazama: Twilight is a party pooper, albeit one who knows how to do his work. As for Wind Link, here's hoping he gets a break soon :P

At James: Thank you for your review


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Vowed with hollow words**

_You have grown fond of this young boy, Daphnes..._

_Daphnes..._

_Even at the cost of your life?_

Red bled against tightly shut eyelids

"Link..."

_Even at the cost of my life... _

The adolescent stared at his white knuckles. Suddenly afraid. A majestic sword hilt pulled him like a magnet. Begging. _Begging_ to be released. Boots glided across the musty earth of an ancient crypt; the air heavy, flames flickering. The blade withdrew from the rock, tired of chaining an ancient spirit.

Stumbling backwards, Link stared at white knuckles. At his joints straining against sun kissed skin. Blood roared in his ears. Blue-grey light took form. A shade wearing rusted armor spotted with moss and flat, odd shaped leaves.

Blocks of text flashed before half lidded eyes. Tired of reading, Link sleepily eyed the library and after missing Zelda's divine presence, he rested his head on a tome of brown, crinkled pages. Mildew and musk wafted up his nose and he inhaled heartily. Old books, no wonder the princess loved them.

A flash of sun burnt his retinas before they drooped shut.

Reverently running his fingers over a portrait, Link's breath hitched. Here he was, the Hero of Time, sky blue eyes piercing. Head whipping around the library, the teenager craned his neck; he counted three sages in training sitting at an oak desk and heads put together, discussing important matters. To his right, a castle guard browsed shelves, shiny steel helmet jammed under an arm. Near the back, a squire, drowning in robes of royal blue silk, meekly followed a librarian, shoes clopping on the stone floor.

Left to his devices, Link pressed his fingers on the page. He wanted to _feel_ the person preserved within, not merely admire him. A hoop of silver bit into the Hero's left ear and Link tugged his own one longingly. In a few months, he will be fifteen and free to do whatever he wanted.

Whatever he wanted...

Rain fell in a gentle sheet of grey. Thunder flashed overhead, lighting the landscape in dreary shades and he wondered if color will ever leach back into his life again. Arms fastened around a bundle, Link covered the gleaming blade tip of the Master Sword; a heavily pregnant goat faltered over a jutting rock and crashed into the ground, bleating pathetically. Shifting the sword to his right, he grabbed the circular horn and hauled it upright.

"Come on," Link urged, "move, we have to get to Ordona." Breath puffing in ragged gasps, he shielded his eyes from the rain and squinted. "It's far..." he lamely finished and gingerly touched his throbbing earlobe. A tiny amount of blood crusted on the aquamarine ringlet threaded in his ear and he scratched it absentmindedly.

The goat refused to move, obstinately settling down. Sighing heavily, Link crouched with her, grateful for the warmth.

Pain bloomed on the back of his head and it radiated everywhere. A purple bruise flowered on his wrist. Bulblin and bullbo crashed into Ordona's sacred spring. The children.

Ilia.

His home.

Rusl...

"LINK!" A harsh voice forced his eyelids to snap up and he lunged to his feet, slipping on the wet deck and falling. Chin colliding with wood, the boy blinked stupidly before the ache his jaw manifested. "For the love of everything you hold holy my boy, _wake up!_" A dragon figurehead blotted the rising sun and its wooden mane glowed magnificently. "Are you trying to kill yourself in your sleep?"

"Daphnes..." Link squatted and delicately touched the blue-black bruise on his wrist. "You name is Daphnes," he repeated and rolled up his tights to blood coagulating in spots. "What happened? The deck is wet," he stated and rubbed his eyes.

The King of Red Lions studied the tunic clad figure. In his sleep, Link knocked over a barrel of tinned foods and they plopped on him one by one, marking deep imprints on sallow skin.

What did he dream of?

"Yes my name is Daphnes; you can refer to me as such if you like." Link shook his head and one of his cryptic smiles assimilated on his face. "Before I ask about your nightly terror problem," the boy chased after a rolling can of meat, "let me clear something for you first." Link's shoulders tensed. "There are a group of pirates seeking you." The King of Red Lions related and the boy laughed; a mocking, high pitched gurgle, as if a group of thieves could best him. "These people have alternately terrorized and saved the high seas and they are equally loved and abhorred." The tins fell into a wooden barrel with dull clanks. "One of them works as a spy for me and that is how I rescued you from the Forsaken Fortress all those months ago."

"I'm hungry," Link announced abruptly and sunk his teeth into a biscuit.

High above, a seagull squawked eagerly.

Sighing, the boat continued, "The pirates have been following us for some time and this spy knows of your skills." On cue, the hero on deck crammed the last bit of biscuit in his mouth and his eyes raked the surroundings. "He is rather obstinate in his quest and will stop at nothing to get you."

"You don't have to worry about me," Link assured, a gleam in his eye. "My sword is sharp."

A giant wave splashed over the hull. "No, you don't understand, I am the one who provided this information, so my _duty_ is to keep you safe from their clutches. Their captain is an eccentric individual," the King of Red Lions broke off, "and although the other Link met these pirates, I do not want you consorting with their kind, they will most likely take advantage of you."

Disinterested in the boat's concern, Link opened the sea chart and peered through his telescope to find the shadowy outlines of Cliff Plateau rising in the east.

"Link, please take care of yourself. I had children," the figurehead related, fathomless sorrow lacing his words. "And I think of you as my own." Slowly, the boy lowered the spyglass; his previous anger mitigated and left a painful loneliness in its wake. "I want you to soak everything in; life is not about rushing through. Life is not about mindlessly chasing your destiny. It is said destiny is written in the stars," the duo gazed at an endlessly blue sky, "but Link, I want you to _crush_ those stars and leave constellations of your own."

The sea breeze carried the boat's sentiments.

"Do not let destiny dictate how you live your life. Do not make the same mistake as this old boat."

Link peeled the tunic off his body and regarded a large bruise on his stomach. Feeling the boat's painted eyes on him; he guiltily turned and trudged to the mini-deckhouse. Shaded he pulled the rest of his clothes off and grabbed a towel.

Striding on deck, he announced, "I'm going for a swim," before gracefully diving in the water. Seconds passed and a mop of sodden, golden hair surfaced beside the King of Red Lions. "The water is cold," the human related and the boat smiled detachedly. "..." Swimming circles around the boat Link inwardly spun circles in his head. "I don't want to die," he stated, bobbing up and down. "This quest...I am not going to sacrifice my life for it. I'm..." he drew five ovals around the boat and body numb, clambered on deck. Water drops glinted in his hair; diamonds weaved in straw. "I started suffering from nightmares when I..." Shivering, he toweled himself dry. "When I moved to Ordona Village. It's a small village situated in the southernmost part of Hyrule and I work as a goat wrangler. At the beginning, I woke easily; the visions were dark and frightening but ..."

"Get dressed," the boat interrupted when Link's teeth chattered in the frigid wind.

He put on a light blue tunic and sat on a crate with a pair of orange pants fisted in a pudgy palm. The words lodged in his throat, flowed like a waterfall.

"They kept on coming; I couldn't get them out of my mind. I began to stay awake, too afraid to fall asleep. Rusl helped me, he read books and forced me to take medication, and just to put him at ease, I'd routinely go to bed. The night terrors started. One time I woke up," he gulped, "I woke up with a knife jutting out of my thigh." Link scratched the pale scar. "I stole the Master Sword," he confessed.

And the world around him, transformed into dark and grey and soundless.

"I lied to everyone. I ran away to escape responsibility. But I prepped myself. I hoped Princess Zelda will forgive me for running away like a coward and use me to seal Ganondorf away. But things just went wrong. I love the people of Ordona. I love all of them, they are my family. However misfortune clings to me like a second skin. The village was infiltrated by monsters and I got knocked out with a blow to my head. Laughable." Link swept his fringe backwards and put one leg in the pant sleeve. "I woke up as a wolf and instead of trying to combat the problem facing Hyrule, I ran after the kidnapped kids. _He_ must be rolling in his grave."

"Who?" The figurehead creaked.

"…Someone I admire." Getting up, his bare leg tangled with the flapping, empty sleeve and for the second time since the morning, his chin passionately kissed the deck. Face squashed against wet, slimy wood, he closed his eyes. "Now what do I do?" he asked. "It feels like my life's purpose vanished in thin air." The sun beat down on his back but Link did not move.

A lonely red boat bumped against the uninhabited shores of Forest Haven.

* * *

_I stole the Master Sword._

Hours later, the child's confession rung in the King of Red Lions' head.

Foam mapped the ocean in white patches. A moist, easterly wind ushered the boat and its sailor to Cliff Plateau and when the watercraft stopped against the sloping shores, Link jumped abroad, hair waving in the breeze. He strapped a small sack to his back, along with his weapons and other essentials. Turning back, the boy smiled, an apathetic upturn of lips, before hiking up the slope. Grasses grew plentiful and before long, a silver speck slashed through the thick blades and rained green confetti.

Alone, the boat moved, gliding over wild waves. On the southwestern horizon, storms raged. A rolling bank of pewter clouds dominated the sky and forks of thunder flashed between heaven and sea. The King of Red Lions spied a cyclone as well. Exhaling deeply, he carefully replayed the morning's conversation in his head but Link's sudden outburst caught him by surprise.

A hero, stealing.

Taking a sacred artifact.

Unheard of.

Perhaps that is the reason why misfortune rained on the adult turned child? Secondly, who was this person he admired? Although the boy politely engaged with everyone, he harbored a deep vein of mistrust and scorn. Link never spoke highly of anyone, apart from his adopted family, but when he referred to this mysterious stranger, his eyes lit up in admiration.

* * *

A shaft of ethereal light deposited him on a wooden platform, clutching his stomach; Link decided not to be sick and tapped the landing with his boot. Must be manmade, he mused and studied the straight and precise strip.

The hollow swam with fireflies, blinking hypnotically in the dim surroundings. A fresh breeze wafted from deep below the earth, bringing the smell of nuts and damp leaves.

He jumped from one hacked tree trunk to the other, counting age rings along the way. Ancient trees wept amber in their mutilated trunks and he pried the golden nuggets off, setting them free in the estuaries. Balancing across a pole leading to a larger isle, Link landed at the heart of the cave and listlessly strode to the treasure chest sitting amongst two burnt out torches. Humans will do anything to keep their things safe, he pondered and smashed his foot in the rotting wood. The chest burst with a loud, satisfying crack and grinning madly, he snatched a faded treasure chart. Fingers brushed against a pile of cold rupees and eyeing them disdainfully, he retraced his steps and emerged above ground.

Palm trees dotted an elevated cliff and a blue chuchu reigned supreme. Sliding the sword out of its sheath, Link swung for the jelly monster and stopped short when a jolt of electricity travelled from his blade and shocked him. Tripping backwards, he fell on the grass, hair sticking up in odd angles.

The chuchu glowered at him venomously and continued on its merry patrol.

Numbly clambering to his feet, Link stamped the pins and needles sensation in his legs and tracked the blue chuchu. He anticipated its flavor and his gaze sharpened. _Finally_, a worthy chuchu. The blue jelly circled the perimeter, wobbling precariously on the grey boarder of stone. Electricity fizzed off it impromptu bursts and Link weighed the boomerang in his hands. The curved weapon arced out of the shadow cast by a large palm tree and struck the monster square on its face.

Head snapping back, the dazed creature scrabbled for purchase on the stone and Link jumped, driving his sword in the middle. Raising the dripping jelly, he bottled it and licked the rim.

Blueberries.

Talo liked blueberry pie.

Link found the King of Red Lions hitting the sloped edges of Cliff Plateau, the boat stared at the horizon, thoughts far away. The rudder sustained damage and bite marks scarred the hull. A large dent underneath the waterline revealed the unfortunate brush against a cannonball and further down, seaweed and barnacles clung unseen. Climbing in, he waited for the figurehead to notice but navy eyes fixated on a bank of ominous clouds.

The boy tried to placing himself in the King of Red Lion's position and his shoulders drooped. Colin and the others popped in his head; he remembered lazy afternoons, teaching the blonde boy how to fish. He remembered energetic mornings, getting dragged out of his kitchen by an exuberant Talo waving a stick. Malo's unimpressed visage prompted the sleepy Link to smash targets with his slingshot. Despite the impressive display, the midget still did not acknowledge him. Beth loved to pick flowers and climb the giant boulder crawling with vines and moss. During late evenings, she sat next to Link, blushed and listened to the grass whistle and the accompanying falcon screams overhead.

Soft footfalls paraded over the deck. Thin arms circled the dragon and the boy rested his head against the wooden surface. "Blue chuchus taste like blueberries," he reported and pointed to the storm, "what's going on over there?"

The figurehead rotated and Link blinked at him, jet irises warm. "It's a storm." The boat supplied. "Do you want to see it up close and personal?" The hero failed to suppress a feral grin and nodded eagerly. "Off we go then," the boat said and Link scrambled for the WindWaker, lying unceremoniously in a tin mug with his toothbrush. "Link, it does not matter," the King of Red Lions contemplated and chose his words carefully, "it does not matter if you stole the Master Sword." Disbelief flashed across the child's face. "You are trying your best to make amends for it. What you did in your past, will not change my judgment of you." A relieved smile slowly grew on the child's face. "And I'm sure Princess Zelda and those around you, will understand why you did what you did."

Howling wind filled the silence and the boat bounced over choppy waves.

A tempest raced across the sea and Link changed back into the hero's tunic. His senses tingled. Holding the streaming cap with one hand, he steered the King of Red Lions through shark infested waters, excitement mounting with each league they crossed. Stray droplets of rain drew erratic lines on his face and letting go of the boom, he ambled to the prow, putting the telescope to his eye.

The magnified vision showed him a monstrous creature. Lowering the spyglass, he wiped both lenses and peered through it again. A large tentacled creature, the likes of an octorock, thrashed in a whirlpool, tossing debris, fish and sharks like cannonballs. Swallowing, Link tracked its movements, noting the speed at which it tossed objects out of the frothing sea. Fortunately, it seemed to have limited movement.

His breath quickened.

"Is there something wrong?" the boat glanced at its hyperventilating passenger and attempted to slow down. Frozen, Link's small chest rose and fell rapidly. "Are you alright?" A shark's grin inched across the pale boy's maw and the King of Red Lions inwardly groaned. "Don't do anything stupid," he warned as Link wheeled to the miniscule deckhouse. "Link! You can not use the cannon, put it back!" the figurehead exasperatedly commanded but the grinning boy pushed the artillery onto the tiny deck and pulled out a _Guide to Cannons and Carronades,_ flipping through it, he triumphantly pointed to the diagram and set to work. "Really boy, I don't want you to blow your fingers off."

Struggling with the rammer, a rod with a weight attached to it, he pounded the barrel. Soot smeared black stripes across his face. "There's a first time to everything," Link gleefully exclaimed and scurried back inside the deckhouse for cannonballs. He emerged, struggling valiantly to juggle the weight of two iron balls, one rolled off his arms and fell on his boot.

Crack!

The sickening sound of a splintering toe rose above the wailing storm.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Child of Cosmos**

The Death Sword sailed out of the demon's grasp and Link jumped, landing on the specter's chest and clawing upwards, blind to anything but his target. Canine eyes narrowing, he latched on the face, tearing and barking. The invisible barrier around it fizzled and the ghost bled into the visible spectrum.

Hovering in the shadows, Midna suppressed a gasp and her hand involuntarily rested on her chest.

Landing on the floor, the sacred wolf charged for the Master Sword, paws scrabbling over blocks of grey stone. Without pausing to transform properly, he loped back to the visible ghost while fur receded on his forearms and a tail unbalanced him. Uttering an animalistic screech of agony and anger, he cleaved the demon's helmet in half, arms shaking uncontrollably. Link paused for a split second to wipe sweat from his face and continued clobbering, howling in a mixture of wolf and human.

The ghost lashed on the floor, groped for its humungous blade and sliced sideways. Undeterred, Link hacked, till his bone snapped and the ghost disintegrated into a freezing pall of cyan smoke.

Cradling his arm, Link hobbled to the Death Sword and bent over it, eyes shining. "I want this," he growled, voice like sandpaper. "Can you carry it for me?" His arm swelled where the broken bone pressed against muscle and skin. "I need this." He pointed to the blade and pleaded, "Just look at what it can do." Gashes ravished the room, cutting into rune marked walls. A sword slice cleft the staircase in half. "If I can stop rampaging goats," an unhealthy optimism crept into his face, "with enough practice I'll be able to wield that." He hoarsely whispered and trailed burning fingers across the sword's ebony, freezing surface.

"You don't need a demon's sword. You have the ultimate weapon, the Master Sword; bane of all evil." Midna harshly reminded him. "You hardly practice," she stated callously, "and I don't think you will be able to wield _that_ sword in a million years. Stick with what you have." She gestured to his arm. "Let me see your injury."

Jaws hardening, Link extended his arm and flinched. The fight's adrenaline wore off and every whack, cut and bruise he accumulated, sung a discordant harmony on his body. Pain forced tears to his eyes and he wiped them irritably. "The Master Sword is useless," he complained and winced when the imp forced his bone to snap back into position. "Ouch, that hurts."

"The Master Sword saved your pathetic, sorry behind numerous times," Midna warned, saffron eye flashing dangerously. "Your incompetence prevents you from using it properly. Don't you dare slander a sacred relic simply because you are too _dumb_ and _lazy_ to train." The imp tightly bandaged his arm and Link became silent. "Come, we have a spinner to unearth."

Normally, Link's eyes lit up whenever he discovered a new weapon and he spent hours tinkering with it. Standing over a raised bump on a turret of red bricks, he listlessly cleaned the sides of a metallic gear and longingly glanced at the Death Sword, gleaming dully on the floor. "Sorry," Link apologized and Midna's contemplative frown mellowed into an inquisitive expression. "I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble," he pointed to his broken arm, "for whining like a child all the time." A pause as the Twilli's hand rested on her chest and Link stared at the marks scarring her forearm. "For biting and not listening to you," he hung his head and kicked the top of the spinner. "I'm sorry for not being like…_him_."

He tugged his earlobe where a blue ring bit into skin.

Having exhausted his apologies, he crouched to the floor, buried his head in raised knees and his shoulders heaved.

Midna delicately sat on his shoulder and thought about her incompetence. She wrapped her arms around his head and patted his soiled hair awkwardly.

"Not everyone is the same," she whispered to herself and thought about Zelda's sacrifice and her own selfishness. "But people change." Link sobbed, a hiccup echoed in the dungeon. "You _are_ changing; you don't run away from your responsibilities anymore." The human raised his head; face blotched with tears and snot. "...Wipe your face," Midna sailed away from him, "you snot nosed brat."

The adolescent wiped his nose on the tunic sleeve. He rose, giggling softly as he followed Midna.

* * *

The spinner, disks of grinding metal tapered to a deadly point, clicked smoothly into the rails curving around the walls and without further prompting, Link threw his arms in the air and jetted downwards, screeching. Equal parts glee and terror bled into this screams as the ground rushed to him and the spinner disengaged from the rails and grinded against the floor, trailing blazing sparks and white scars. The spinning gear responded to his weight expertly and he waltzed around an irked Midna. Impatient, she lunged for the playing human and her demonic hair hand met musty air. The hero's inane laughter echoed from the next corridor and rolling her eye expressively, she warped to him. Link jumped over cracks, surfed on the wall tracks and when the edge of the spinner tangled with a pile of gravel, he vaulted face first into the sand.

"Serves you right," the imp snidely pounded his head.

Getting up, he wiped sand from his mouth and eyes shining, righted the spinner and jumped on it again, surfing over expanses of shifting sand. "I'm guessing I have to use this against the final boss?" Link asked.

"Someone is growing a brain," the Twilli retorted.

"What do you think it might be?" He whizzed past a redead and revolved, stringing a bomb arrow to his bow. Head cocked, he let the arrow fly and it struck the animated corpse square on its chest, blowing it apart. Splatters of rusted red blossomed on gold sandstone walls and Link rotated to the front, ducking just in time to avoid a skull shattering collision. "I don't wanna fight a giant Re-dead." He pouted and sniped another one as it lumbered closer. "I hate their screams; it makes me go all numb and dead inside." The monster hefted its meat-cleaver of a sword. A bomb arrow exploded against the blade, driving it backwards and impaling the redead through its rotting, grey chin. "Eww," Link moaned in disgust and swerved to the right, the spinner collided against strip of metallic spikes and flung him against a crumbling wall. "Oww!" He breathed and lay limp in a sand pit crawling with giant cockroaches.

Snacking on a bottle of milk, Link squared his shoulders as the chains to the boss door fell away. Moving away from the ominous creak of the opening door, Midna brushed Link's cheek with the back of her clammy hand and her lips pulled into a skew smile.

"After I defeat this thing,"

"Without wetting your pants," she interjected and his cheeks caught on fire.

"I stopped doing that ages ago!" he hissed. "Don't remind me of embarrassing stuff." Face screwing into an indignant frown, the adolescent added, "After I get rid of whatever is behind this door. I'm going to ask the ghost to help me perfect my sword skills." He solemnly marched inside, not stopping until his shins bumped on the brink of a gigantic pool of sand. "I hope this isn't quicksand," he dipped his boot and sighed in relief.

A smatter of beige bones and skulls submerged in the sea of sand and a ring of oddly placed stones circled the center.

"It's a humungous sandpit." Goal temporarily forgotten, Link sprang into the sand and dug into it. "Imagine all the treasures...Eh…Why is the earth shaking?" Wisely moving back to solid ground, he bore witness as an ancient relic rose from the deep. In the middle, sand parted like water to reveal the bone white surface of a gargantuan skull. Teeth rattling, Link crouched low as a waterfall of sand crashed into the pit, releasing clouds of dust. Empty eye sockets, swirling with purple mist, emerged. Skeletal fingers and hands groped the basin of sand and Link's head rose and rose, till his neck hurt and till the fossil surfaced completely. "It's a giant bag of bones," he whispered, voice shaking and clenched trembling hands into fists. "I'm...I'm... gonna"

Suspicious, Midna's single eye roved the circular chamber, she noticed a familiar shadow and hunted it zealously. Her gaze alighted to figure in the corner with raised arms, pouring foul magic in the ebony sword lodged in Stallord's skull. Pupil shrinking covetously, Midna charged for the robed individual.

A glowing hand hair smashed into Zant's side, he cannoned into the side of the wall and his armored headpiece shattered. "You are as ugly as ever," Midna snickered and raised Zant by the throat. "What did you do? Answer quickly and you'll die early."

Feet tangled with his turquoise veined robes, the Twilli laughed. "Princess," he rasped, "how delightful to see you again, although, you are much beautiful in your other form." Midna squeezed and Zant grunted, breath rattling in his chest. "I merely disturbed an ancient relic with magic," he explained, voice lowering to a hoarse, painful murmur. "Your little human will stand...no chance." Zant giggled, throwing his head back and kicking the wall behind him. "Your little human," he repeated and the demonic hair around his throat pulled taught.

His neck snapped and he went limp.

"Good riddance," Midna crowed triumphantly and eyed the fused shadows littering Zant's cooling body. Thinking nothing of it, she osmosed the shards into her body and buckled as the forces of light and dark raged within her. Sweat cropped on her brow and she floated weakly to the floor, bringing both hands to press on her chest. Behind her, an ominous blast echoed and her head snapped to the commotion. A dust storm swirled in the clearing and she held on a piece of pillar, searching for a green clad figure amongst the sand.

Link abandoned all thinking, he could not strategize anyway. Instead, he left his fighting skills to the extreme training which came very handy in such situations. Hopping on the spinner, his eyes darted left and right, the pointed edge drew curling tracks in the sand, bumped against the apex of a horned skull and flung him on Stallord's finger bone. Only his unshakable faith in the Gods kept him alive as the fossil somehow missed the terrified human landing on its hand, and continued swaying unsteadily on its bony spine. Scrambling to his feet and swallowing a mouthful of gritty sand, Link raced for his spinner and mounted it.

Extreme trailing failed him.

The spinner torpedoed towards the central dip and he risked a glance at the rim, where Midna and another Twilli, without his fish helmet, grappled. Alarmed, Link bounced off a small pillar and hammered into Stallord's spine.

An unearthly roar shook the chamber.

Nerves jangled, he directed the spinner away from the fossil's purple (evil) gaze. Stallord smashed a skeletal palm on the sand and swiped sideways. Heart beating a staccato in his chest, Link surfed to the center, falling off the gear as it rammed into the spine again. Running to the spinner, Link paused to inspect the bone, the spine crumbled and he stared at the spinner. Biting his lip, he mounted the device and charted to the sandpit's outer rim.

If he pulled this off, the gigantic skeleton _will_ fall.

And Midna needed his help.

Grit swamped the area and he repeatedly wiped his eyes. The white bank of the pit rose in the dusty fog and he bumped gently against it. Facing back, Link launched off the stones, gawping at the legion of undead rising and forming ranks. Sand compacted to form skeletons and they marched, three rows wide. Holding the shield protectively, the hero shut his eyes and plowed through the forest of skeletons. Bones snapped. Femurs flew, smacking his cheek and banging on his legs. Fingers and toes joined the sand, grinded by the spinner. Swerving into an arc, Link cannoned into the fragile vertebrae and a fissure snaked up the spine.

Stallord's colossal skull wobbled on a feeble support and the spine shattered.

Time slowed to a crawl.

The dust screen collapsed, blinking dumbly, the hero stood under the shadow cast by Stallord's falling skull, unsure of what to do.

Outrunning it...Was impossible.

But Midna...Was she safe?

The last time, the other person completely overwhelmed her…

The skull descended, its shadow darkening from grey to black. Crouching, Link pushed off the stump rooted in the circular pit and the spinner shot off, leaping across the ground in a desperate attempt to escape the falling cranium. The central part of the skull collided with the ground, sending a tidal wave of sand and the compressed air current blasted Link off the spinner and sent him flying towards the walls.

He hung in mid-air, suspended by a glowing, orange hand. "I'm tired," the adolescent muttered and smiled weakly. "And you are safe."

His eyes drooped shut.

* * *

The broken Mirror of Twilight mocked them both. Shoulders stiffening, Link peeked at Midna, who hovered towards the shattered remains. She tentatively touched the outer casing and lovingly trailed her fingers over the single shard remaining in place. The silver of the mirror, crisscrossed with white, intricate patterns, reflected Link's soiled face and he scrubbed the drool stains littering his mouth. Lashes, thick with a mixture of tears and grit, were picked fussily and he stopped when Midna lowered to the ground.

"Are you...Okay?" he asked and mentally berated himself, of course she was not okay. "Grandma used to kiss my pain away," he recalled his bumps and scratches when doing something adventurous and how his kindly old grandmother cleaned and pressed her pruned lips against the wounds. "But, this type of pain doesn't really go away does it?" He pointed to his chest. "It still hurts when I think of Grandma and Aryll," he confessed and crouched next to her on the cold floor. "I understand the people here also love me. They depend on me." He thought about the village residents and the children, looking up to him like a hero.

A small, insistent part of him hoped Midna might need him as well and he remembered her words in Goron Mines.

_I won't lie to you. I don't care for anyone._

How much can one person lie? He wondered. Clearly Midna cared very much for Princess Zeldy...Or Zelda...Whatever her name was.

"If you keep on thinking any harder, your brain will leak from your ears." Midna grinned slyly at him, her fang glinting in moonlight and dancing flames. She took to the air after the mirror shard finished its history lesson. "Unfortunately, Zant shattered the mirror..."

"How do you know?" Link stood, rubbing his frozen behind. "It looks like this _Ganondorf_ is behind everything, he even looks evil!" he exclaimed, "he's got these wicked eyes and a flat nose but his cape is nice, orange and black goes together nicely," the adolescent nodded to himself.

Midna studied the babbling human as he complimented Ganondorf's fashion. "Do you still crave for the completed Triforce?" Her question caught him completely off guard and he shook his head, backpedaling furiously and nearly falling off a step. "Good." Her face softened. "Because then, you won't be any better than this Ganondorf scum." Whirling to the mirror, she delicately lifted the intact shard. "I know Zant shattered it, it's something he would do." The Twilli mumbled, lost in thought.

"He…Um...Kissed you at the springs." What a strange thing to remember, Link thought and quickly raised his arms when Midna whipped around, her hair glowing menacingly. "Listen to me for a second!" he pleaded and she jerked her chin, urging him to continue. "Maybe he likes you and is trying to get you out of harm's way?"

The imp laughed a harsh, ragged sound and it echoed in the crisp air. The torches lighting the mirror chamber briefly flickered and Link wrapped his arms around himself. "Listen closely human." Midna's eye glinted inhumanely. "I am the Princess of Twilight," the male shivered, "and I was betrothed to the scum who ripped everything away from me." She stared Link down. "Everything," she hissed. "I care not for his aims; the only thing I care for is restoring myself to my rightful throne and protecting my people from power hungry wretches like him." Link succumbed to the hate and malicious intent conveyed in her gaze. "I will stop at _nothing_ to accomplish my goal." Her hand curled into a fist. "And I shall build my kingdom from their ashes." Her lips stretched into a demonic smile and Link flinched when she skimmed his cheek with ice cold fingers. "And you will help me..."

_Stop it; you are scaring me_, the words died on the human's tongue.

"We have to find the mirror shards." Midna's voiced, tone determined. "But first things first. You need to visit home."

* * *

A wolf materialized on the outskirts of Ordona village and howled at the moon.

Disturbed by the sound, Rusl slipped off the quilts, taking care not to wake Uli. He stalked to the window, drew lace curtains aside and his gaze sharpened at a shape near the stream. The waters glimmered like quicksilver and he grabbed his sword and made for the door, floorboards creaking under his weight. Uli sat up when the door banged shut and clutched the covers protectively, one hand instinctively resting on her swollen belly.

Outside, the grass waved in an unnaturally cold breeze and Rusl cautiously advanced to the stream, pausing when the figure lurched closer. Light from the porch bled over the shadow's skin and Rusl lowered his weapon. "Link?" he queried, puzzled, "what are you doing here in the middle of the night." The boy stumbled over the path and flopped on the porch. "Goddesses! What happened? You are filthy and hurt." Rusl sheathed the sword and sat next to Link, taking young, calloused hands in his old ones. "Tell me what happened."

The hero sniffed himself. "I stink," he quipped and his stomach grumbled. "Let's see, it's a long story. Oh yeah, I found Ilia..." Rusl perked, grabbed Link and ushered him inside, where Uli warmed leftover stew and sliced a loaf of bread. "And she's in Kakariko Village; the Shaman agreed the children will be safe there. The Gorons decided to help the humans...And I need your help."

Sitting on adjacent chairs, Uli rested her head on Rusl's shoulder and watched Link devour her pumpkin stew. A soft smile graced her lips and her eyes moistened, she almost imagined Colin sitting next to the goat herd and smiling like an angel. "You can stay here tonight dear." Uli ladled more stew in the bowl and Link sniffed it before shoveling it in his mouth. "Take your time and chew properly." She reached for his arm and squeezed. The boy flinched and she quickly retracted her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must be hurt."

Licking his lips, Link sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I can't stay," he swept his fringe backwards; "I'm looking for the mirror shards." Ice blue eyes locked on Rusl who petrified in his seat. "You and the resistance members know about the alternative hiding places of the Mirror of Twilight," Link continued, oblivious to the older man's internal turmoil. "I need to find them, the Mirror is broken," Rusl's eyes widened horrified, "and I need to piece it back together."

The wood in the fire place crackled lightly and filled the house with the fragrant smell of smoke. Firelight illuminated portraits and a wreath against the wooden walls.

Rusl nodded heavily. "I understand," he said and squeezed Uli's hand. "For now, the children will be under Goron's protection. However, this business about the mirror shattering, I did not foresee it. The barrier to Hyrule Castle is no closer to be undone and ominous forces are at work here." The man steepled his fingers together. "Link, I need to consult with the members first, Ashei is in Snowpeak, she is on the trail of a thief," he informed. "As you know, Snowpeak is home to an extinct race and it is one of the places were the Mirror of Twilight was once hidden." Rusl's blue eyes dimmed gravely. "Begin your search there," the man softly stated and Uli stared at him in alarm. "Before you leave, I think it is best to rest for a bit, the mind and body needs healing." Rusl smiled kindly and his wife relaxed and nodded at Link.

Crumbling at their insistences to stay, Link scratched the back of his head. Resting for a while did sound like a good idea. The weeks spent inside the Gerudo mesa tested his patience and sanity, not to mention he ate monster meat for a while. The stitch scars on the edge of his right palm throbbed at odd times and he smiled gratefully at them.

"Spending time at home doesn't sound like a bad idea." He yawned and stretched, popping the joints on his neck. "I think I'll spend two weeks here-"

"And you said you could rest?" Midna banged cruelly in his head. "The mirror shards must be found post haste, who knows what Ganondorf is up to?"

Gnashing his teeth, Link glared at the fire till Rusl eased from the cane chair and placed warm palms on the adolescent's shoulders. "...I can't stay." Link groaned, lips twisted into an ugly snarl. "Someone else is after the Mirror of Twilight pieces and I have to get them all." He grumbled and reached for a peach, lying in the woven fruit basket.

"The shards have a corrupting influence." Rusl acknowledged sagely; honey hues rested in the wrinkles of his faces. "Link," the man turned, uncertainty flickering in his irises, "whatever you do, be careful...You are precious to all of us."

Wiping the tooth achingly sweet juice running down his chin, Link nodded absentmindedly. He missed the odd look shared by Rusl and Uli.

The next morning dawned cloudless and warm. Tossing under the blankets, Link rolled off his bed and landed on the wooden floor with a painful thump. Wrestling the covers off his person, he scratched his chin, distastefully pulling at the tiny prickles of hair erupting along the jawline. Half awake, he remembered putting on his regular clothes, grimacing at the layers and the dubious fashion. Buckling the leather belt under his right armpit, he ran his fingers through a tangled mess of clean hair and jolted wide awake on catching his reflection in a mirror standing on his desk. Midna's futile efforts to teach him the Hylian language finally paid off as he touched the cover of a thick tome covered with a thin layer of dust.

Agonizingly, he read the title. Midna remained mercifully silent in his head. Flipping through the book, he paused at the detailed drawing of the Mirror of Twilight.

And the imp cackled in his head.

"I did not peg him as one reading illegal books." She bled into view, taking great care to remain in shadow. "Hmm." She smiled enigmatically and Link scrutinized the paintings tacked on the wall.

Gilded frames surrounded watercolor paintings of a smiling man. In one, he sat on a rock, surrounded by dozens of kids, some Link recognized. Most of the wall however, was covered with pictures of goats. A smiling man rode Epona and led a horned goat into a modest barn. The same person pressed his cheek against a newborn kid. _Him,_ standing at the edge of the stream, a giant brown bird with a hooked beak rested on his arm.

"That's a falcon," Midna commented and snorted at the goats. "Hmph, no wonder he refuses to eat them, he probably thinks of them as his children or something." The imp floated away to criticize the rest of the house and Link simply stared at the other Link balancing a falcon on his forearm. The bird's eyes glinted cruelly and yet, the man in the picture grinned. Blowing a strand of sandy hair out of his face, Link climbed downstairs and plodded to the kitchen. A bowl of streaming rice porridge landed on the table and Midna smiled at him mischievously. "I took the liberty of making you breakfast," the Twilli declared and he poked the porridge doubtfully with a spoon.

"It looks like poison," he remarked and sniffed the food.

The Twilli grinded his fist against her cheek. "Well if you don't want it," she grabbed the wooden bowl with her hair, "I guess the goats can appreciate a good meal." Link lunged for the soaring bowl and caught it. He spooned the mixture in his mouth and grimaced. "I forgot to mention," the imp smirked, "I don't know how to cook." She cackled, dropped into a chair and studied documents whilst he choked down the mushy mixture of rice and goat milk. "We are leaving for Snowpeak the moment you lick that bowl clean," Midna warned and Link shoveled the porridge faster in his mouth.

The prospect of seeing snow thrilled him greatly. Puffs of white, falling from a cloud. Snared in a day dream, he finished breakfast, followed Midna to the back of the house and crouched to the ground as a wolf.

A portal tore open in the sky. Rings of black; squares of red. Breaking into ebony scales, the portal vacuumed his remains and deposited them to the far north east. Paws landed in a pillow of freezing cold and the sacred wolf's breath gushed in visible clouds. Petrifying, he studied the familiar surroundings and panicked.

Finally, the golden wolf's elusive realm had a name.

Snowpeak.

* * *

**A/N:** My sister likes snow, I don't, it's just frozen water and it's too cold. Now it's Midna's turn to spiral into madness, how will Link handle a crazy-to-the-power-squared Twilli? The other Link is learning to let go, to unlearn what's been hammered into his head. We all need to unlearn some things and maybe start anew.

Read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thanks for taking time and reading.

At AkabaneKazama: Yeah, he lost three fingers. It's Twilight's body but he currently uses it. Also WW Link doesn't really take good care of his body, unlike TP Link.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Lotus flower**

_Get me out of here!_ Link relayed to Midna, however she ignored him in favor of studying the frosty environment of Snowpeak. Paws freezing, he transformed back into a human amongst a chorus of growls and bone snaps and grabbed the Twilli by her shoulders.

"This is the golden wolf's realm, take me out of here," he demanded. Midna remained silent, eye fixed to a snow white creature barely visible through a copse of naked trees. Startled by her intense concentration, Link half turned, skin prickling at a fat, furry creature standing on a snowy outcrop.

Temporarily shoving fears at the back of his mind, he grabbed his bow and weaved through trees bearing leaves like delicate grass.

His breath escaped in a vapor of white and steadying it, he stalked right behind the creature and aimed an arrow to the head. Somehow, it felt wrong. Beneath the outcrop, wind howled through a forest of pine trees and his hand quivered.

The beast moved, bringing two gigantic paws to its head and he jumped back, bowstring taut. Terrified, Link watched the beast _pull_ its head off and screamed, startling the birds nesting in bare trees.

A flock burst into the grey sky and Ashei raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Dude, your scream is real loud yeah," she drawled and despite the dark circles underneath her eyes, Link found her pale face attractive. A shock of jet black hair, held by jeweled pins, cascaded into the beast's costume and he lowered his bow. "Rusl told me you'd come," she rummaged in her pockets, "and I'm currently on the trail of a thief. Someone out here is steeling reekfish yeah."

She handed Link a drawing of a fish and he studied the diagram, mentally revaluating the woman in front of him.

"I can draw better than this." He pointed to the sorry excuse of a drawing. _And I'm twelve._ "That aside, I came here to find the alternative hiding place of the Mirror of Twilight, I don't have time to chase around," he scowled at the drawing, "reekfish."

"That's a shame." Ashei swept her fringe backwards and Link quickly dropped his eyes to the page when Midna teased him inside his head. "Because the thief is actually the guide to the Snowpeak ruins, yeah." She raised a perfect eyebrow. "And the Snowpeak ruins is...was the resting place of the Mirror."

_I hate you all._

The Zora on guard studied the picture Ashei gave him and Link pitied his new fishy friend, clearly no one could decipher the lady's pre-school scribbles. Neck choked with pearls and ears dangling with rings of coral, the female guard tilted her head and Link glanced at the dagger fastened at her waste. Pretty and deadly, he concluded. At long last, she returned the drawing and told him about the fishing spot of the Reekfish, a place called the Mother and Child rocks. She also stressed that the picture reminded her of Prince Ralis.

Head buzzing, Link headed to a secluded area in the domain and consulted Midna. The Twilli wanted to hop over to the fishing spot and wrestle the fish out with a pole but Link brooded about the prince...

The prince.

A child without his mother.

Wolf and imp landed on the outskirts of Kakariko Town and Link tasted dust. The familiar creaking signs and the looming, yet welcoming, shadow of Death Mountain falling on the valley, elicited a smile from him. He started on the dirt road, eager to reach Renaldo's house and check in on everyone. Materializing into view, Midna pinched Link's elongated ear and pulled him to the graveyard. "I just wanted to say Hi," he sputtered and shuffled along. "Let go of me, you're going to tear my ear off," the adolescent grumbled and rubbed his reddened ear. "So he's here in the graveyard, how can you be so sure?"

"Where would _you_ go if your parents died?" Midna questioned and rolled her eye. "To a graveyard to mourn them, right?"

The human sniffed. "Like I'd know, my parents died in shipwreck at sea." She quickly let go of him, these days, her expression flitted freely across her face. "It's not much of a big deal," Link said and tried picturing his parents. Daffodil curls...Kind smiles. A heart melting lullaby? His mother's or father's warm breath fanning across his face. "It doesn't matter," he added brusquely and skirted a wide path around the tree stripped of leaves and bowed with guay foliage. "They are gone and I'm gonna make sure Aryll doesn't," his voice hitched and he lowered to his arms and knees, "follow them."

Scuffling through the crawl space, Link emerged in a green glade and a pond separated the Royal Zora graveyard. A fish-child straightened from its kneeling position and the human used a moment to gape at the familiar face.

"It's that slimy fish thing," he whispered to Midna before forgetting she conveniently disappeared in front of others. Embarrassed, he dove into the water and emerged on the graveyard, hair plastered to his scalp.

Ralis regarded him with lime green eyes full of mistrust. Smiling gently at the boy, Link inwardly praised Ralis' fashion sense (the fish-child sure rocked the golden regalia) and crouched to his level.

"Hello, my name is Link," the human began and Ralis' suspicion softened. "I don't think you've heard of me." The prince quietly assured that the children spoke highly of Link. Glancing at the graves, Link brushed a tombstone and a spell of silence descended between them. "Losing both parents must be very difficult," he said and Ralis nodded, face trained to his feet. "But you can't hold on to them forever." The child crouched at the base, green irises boring in the tombstone and Link gently patted Ralis' head. "The Zora expect greatness from you and I know it can be overwhelming," the adolescent broke off, remembering the time he fainted in the Forest Temple, "but I'm sure if you are willing to do your best, they will do what they can to help you." Extracting the reekfish drawing from his wallet, Link showed it to Ralis. "A guard told me this fish reminds them of you." Ralis giggled, bringing a webbed palm to obscure saw teeth. "I don't see any resemblance though; you are one good looking fish thingy."

The young prince laughed some more.

"You need a special lure to catch them," he explained and fished in a jeweled waist pack. "Here," he fixed a coral hook at the end of Link's fishing rod. "Thank you for talking to me." Ralis faced the graves and brushed a pink, pearlescent hand over the stone carvings. "After those shadow creatures murdered my mother, I ran away. I was afraid of returning, but my people need me." The previous uncertainty in his eyes transformed into a burning dedication. "I shall make sure the Zora are ready to contribute to this battle between good and evil." Backtracking, Link regarded the child warily and Ralis smiled. "Just because I'm a little boy, doesn't mean I don't know what's happening. I'm a prince; we are expected to be knowledgeable about these things."

Inside the human's head, Midna appraised the Zora, eye glinting.

Late evening sunlight bounced off the Mother and Child rocks. Two obelisks of stone, top half covered by moss, plunged in the clear water and overhead, a tiny waterfall drained in the pond. Bending, Link looked past the surface reflection and admired the schools of colorful fishes below. Settling on the grassy bank with a sandwich in one hand and the rod in the other, he patiently waited for the reekfish to bite.

He worked through two sandwiches, a packet of salted crackers and a wedge of cheese before the fishing rod tugged. Shooting to his feet, Link expertly reeled and victoriously held a dark reddish fish in the dying light.

Materializing, Midna held her nose and examined the gaping fish for a few seconds before tossing the shadow crystal in Link's head. The sacred wolf took one whiff of the reekfish and his ears flattened disagreeably. Kicking the gasping fish back into the lake's marigold waters, Link sniffed the air and retched.

Great, now he smelt reekfish everywhere.

The stench of half rotted fish led him through an icy cavern in Snowpeak. Paws freezing on the gelid surface, Link traced the trail into the province proper and stepped into a burning mush of snow. His elation at wanting to see snowflakes falling from the sky evaporated and he trudged miserably while falling flakes settled on his back, clumping long fur together.

A thorough study of the region revealed it was not the Golden Wolf's domain and Link liberally thanked Jabun for the good fortune. Wet nose hovering an inch above the icy breath of Snowpeak, he diligently plowed through the slopes till the aching pain in his joints numbed to a comforting paralysis. The wolf paused and sniffed the air, tongue catching snowflakes and strange odors; ears cocking to noise, he crouched into a defensive position when a pack of wolfos shimmered into view. For a moment, Link failed to see the glowing, angry scarlet eyes and hostile jaws dripping with freezing saliva, instead, he inhaled at the sight of a majestic pack of wolves and their blinding white coats.

One sprang forward and buried icicle teeth in Link's hindquarter and he stared blankly, not feeling pain. A splash of warm blood oozed from the wound, drying instantaneously and matting blue-grey fur into stiff spikes. The wolfos eyed the intruder and exchanged bewildered glances.

_An idiot this one,_ the attacking wolfos confirmed and signaled to the pack with its tail. _Does not pose a threat, retreat._ The pack howled in unison and dissolved among the snow. Link bristled at their words.

_Did you hear that?!_ He indignantly turned to Midna, nonchalantly scratching her ear. _They called me an idiot!_ Link barked furiously, daring the ghost wolves to come out and attack. Howling atrocities, he ran after a streaming tail in the woods and leapt to pin a wolfos down. Unfortunately, his paws scrabbled on the edge of a ravine and whining piteously, Link tumbled over.

The Twilli lazily hovered to the edge; underneath, the sacred wolf buried in a mound of snow, legs twitching. He irritably shook snow off its snout and stumbled upright. The ten meter drop dazed the creature and she sighed, dissolving into his shadow.

Alone at the bottom of a ravine, Link snarled at the outcrop. Declaring his utmost hatred of snow with a long, bone chilling howl, he retraced his steps back towards the reek of the reekfish and dutifully followed it. The path winded through the forest of pine trees and ice keese fluttered in his face. Growling a warning, he padded through when the bats allowed him safe passage before swarming all over him. Frost crept over his fur, biting into his skin. Whipping, he pierced the nearest bat's wing and tossed it into the swarm. Lowering his ears at the high pitched squeaks, he bolted out of the forest, tripped over a stone covered in snow and landed with his back legs banging against a circular door.

The oppressive chill seeped into human Link's bones and his teeth clattered uncontrollably.

Feeling sorry for the poor human, Midna bled into view and offered to hold his hands in her hair. Lips cyanotic, Link stared at her dully, shook his head violently and stamped the ice slicked ground.

The cavern, lit by an arctic glow, consisted of ledges covered in moss and the Twilli examined the weedy vegetation growing in such inhospitable conditions. Her fingers lingered on a violet flower and she commended the plant for being like her. Surviving with nothing. In front, Link, fingers inflamed and prickling, climbed a trellis of vines and heaved to the upper areas. Frost glittered on his lashes, sparkling dust caked his fringe. The cavern spat him to an incline and he petrified at a familiar figure.

The golden wolf.

Unsheathing his sword and shield, he waited for the creature to pounce, instead, the wolf waited, its blood red eye deceptively calm. Peeking uneasily at Midna, who waved him away almost callously, he approached the wolf and his knees sunk in the snow.

Out cold.

One hour later, the inert, blue form of Link rose from the blanket of snow and he grimaced, flexing unresponsive fingers. When the pain proved to be too much to bear, he let his cerulean limbs hang uselessly around him. Sitting on his shoulder, Midna grabbed his hands and held them fast when the human complained. She massaged them vigorously, coaxing blood back into shriveled fingers and Link pulled venomously from her grasp.

"Stay still," the imp commanded and he glowered at her balefully. "You will lose your fingers and toes if the blood does not reach there. Want to live as a cripple?" she asked and kneaded her small hands in his own.

"Can't feel pain," Link slurred, "feels better this way." He attempted another tug and Midna let go of him. Legs pedaling backwards, he crashed against a warm, furry body. Initial alarm melting into relief, he curled into a ball when the beast lifted him. Grasping tufts of eggshell fur, Link raised his face to thank his savior and the words vaporized in his mouth. "Uh...I'm not tasty," he warbled and attempted to detach from the comforting spread of fur. "Please don't eat me."

"Yeto doesn't eat anyone," a voice droned and Link, cradled in large, leathery hands, gazed at Ashei. A black scabbard hang at her waist and silver boots mirrored the icy brilliance. "So you've been stealing the reekfish yeah?" Ashei leveled a glare at the white furred beast and it trembled.

Sneaking a glance at the obviously stricken monster, Link paled when the woman unsheathed a blade. Against the backdrop of snow, the sword glinted black as night.

"I told you to entrust _me_ with your problems Yeto." The wind tossed Ashei's silken fringe. "The Zora are angry, and we resistance members do not have time to catch a pitiful thief, yeah." The charcoal blade tip hovered near the terrified beast's neck and the frantic faces of both man and monster reflected off the woman's silver bodice. "Castle Town is a wreck and I'm dispatched here to deal with you." The blade returned to its ornate sheath with a dismal scrape and Yeto inched backwards, still holding Link carefully. "Let's talk, yeah?" Ashei compromised but the beast uttered a strangled cry, knocked a bare tree, dislodging a sheet of ice and boarded it. "Yeto!" the woman called too late.

Screams thrust at the back of his throat, Link succumbed to the greater forces. Body limp, he distinctly remembered the scenery whirling past him.

Grey and emerald and white.

Mountains, pine forests.

Winding trails dipping through valleys. A pack of wolfos ran with them and abruptly dissolved in the wind.

Wind stung his side; the sun did not have a place in Snowpeak. A halo formed around the burning ball in the sky and yet, the warming rays refused to touch him.

His eyes drooped shut.

The aroma of delicious soup roused Link from a long slumber. "Grandma?" he asked and rubbed his eyes, lips quirking into a smile.

What a strange dream of snowy mountains and weird snow people and a black haired lady wearing fashionable armor.

Inhaling the hearty smell of broth and cheese, he opened his eyes and registered a warm blanket over his chest. "Grandma...Aryll?" Link called.

The kitchen seemed a bit too big and did they have such a fancy fireplace? Logs, glowing orange and crimson, crumbled in a granite fireplace and he rubbed his eyes. The fire fought with shadows present in every corner and windows rattled. Suddenly afraid, Link shot up from the oversized armchair and flung the moth eaten blanket off him. The couch sported rips, the stuffing spilled on the floor. Threadbare velvet carpets covered stone tiles and his boots echoed too loudly. Whipping around, his irises roved the dark paintings hung on the walls and he hugged himself.

"Midna?" he whispered and crawled to the roaring fire. "Where am I?" He waited for the imp to appear but several torturous seconds later, he gave up and clung to a pillar near the fireplace, fingers worrying intricate, soot covered grooves. Eyes wandering to the paintings half covered in shadow, he forcefully watched the fire, limbs chilled despite the toasty heat.

"Hello, human." A rough, warm voice shattered his concentrated terror and Link screamed. His flailing arm knocked a vase off the mantle and a loud crash echoed in the dismal room. Glass shards glittered red. "Oh!" the snow monster exclaimed, a bowl of soup in her hands. "Yeta's favorite vase," she muttered softly and Link bowed apologetically. "No problem, uh," the beast smiled and passed the comforting porcelain bowl in his hands. "Yeta sick so husband make soup," she added giddily and Link smiled. "You hurt?" She pointed to a faint scar spiraling down the side of his face and gently pressed a fragrant fingertip against his cheekbones.

"No and I'm sorry about your vase," Link apologized again and gulped the soup without bothering to use the spoon. "This is delicious," he grinned toothily, "it tastes like my Grandma's special soup."

Yeta's lips inched into a glowing smile and she sat by the fireplace, her fur absorbing the amber hues. Licking the bowl clean and no longer afraid, he hunkered near the beast and basked in the warmth, forgetting about the ominous chill saturating the house.

"Do you and...Yeto...Live here alone?" he asked, icy blue eyes reflecting dancing flames. "Don't the humans look at your and run away?"

"Ask about the Mirror," Midna advised.

Oh, _now_ she could speak.

Ignoring the fuming Twilli banging in his cranium, Link listened, starry eyed as Yeta's dulcet tones flowed over him like tepid water. He barely understood her broken speech but the affectionate twinkle in the eye prompted him to snuggle closer.

She garbled about her mansion being nice and pretty, about the pack of wolfos guarding the place. Of days when she spent her time snowboarding with her husband and when humans wore thick animal hide and lived at the foot of Snowpeak in snow igloos. Every year, they held a snowboarding competition. Sighing, her palm dropped from Link's sandy head.

"What happened to those times?"

Yeta stroked his hair carefully. "All gone," she mumbled. "Yeta sick, so husband stay all day inside and look after me." A log inside the fire broke, releasing a cloud of bright sparks. "People move away, too cold." She shivered and Link wrapped his arms around her. "Ever since Mirror, uh..." Stiffening, he stared at the misery in her slate face. "Not good, Mirror." The beast rocked to and fro. "Not good," she repeated, "man in robe."

A sudden throb of pain rocketed through Link's skull and he pressed his fingers on his temple. Midna must be mad again.

"I'll take the Mirror away from you," Link offered and Yeta turned to him. "Tell me where it is, if the mirror is gone, you will be fine and you can go snowboarding with Yeto again, right?" Her monstrous face, which did not seem so bad anymore, crinkled into a smile and she swept him in a fluffy hug.

"Brave," she patted his head, gratitude shining in cinnamon irises, "Brave little...Uh human." Link glowed at her praise and eagerly handed her the empty bowl, hopefully they will have the grace to give him another helping of the divine soup before sending him on a death quest.

* * *

Not only did Yeto give him another brimful bowl of soup, he also bottled half the remains and bundled them in a sack. Elated, Link procured a map and compass from Yeta and climbed the grand staircase leading to the upper floors of the palace ruins. The double doors to the cozy living room banged shut and the corridors stretched endlessly before him. Ice dusted stone reliefs and Link shivered, raising his lantern. The glow illuminated skewed portraits nailed to the walls. A lattice of wooden beams hung above his head, edges ragged and slung with skulltula webs. The floor, covered in frost, crackled loudly underfoot and he whipped around, heart thudding in his chest.

The comforting bottles of soup, nestling against his waist, bolstered what little courage he possessed and Link stalked forward, closing his eyes when a gale blew freezing dust through shattered windows. Snowpeak ruins creaked and lantern held high above his head; Link turned in circles, slid on the icy floor, fighting for balance and landed in a tangled heap against a square block of stone.

Fingers clawing on the carved sides, he stood upright and examined both rock and the rectangle of ice covering the room. Pale light filtered from a gate beyond the block and Link skated to solid ground and jumped for the exit.

The gate refused to yield.

"Why is it not opening?" he kicked the door for good measure and suspiciously stared at the block of stone, sitting smugly on the quad of ice. "Let me guess, I have to do something with the stone." Hanging the lantern on a rusty nail, he walked around the perimeter and noted squat pillars of ice positioned at odd places. Thankfully, Midna bled into view and Link receded into the shadows, waiting for her to wrench the stone block in her hand-hair and hurl it at the unresponsive gate. Instead her eyes flickered to the engraving on the granite cube. "What should we do?" he asked.

"Solve a puzzle," came the simple reply.

Link blinked. "Huh?" Fingers tingling, he rubbed them on his tunic and frowned. "A puzzle?" He pointed to the block. "This is a puzzle?" The Twilli pointed her chin to a switch cased in ice. "I don't have the brains to solve a-" he ducked when Midna swiped at him. "You always call me an idiot!" the adolescent protested. "I can't read a map so how am I gonna solve this?" He stabbed a finger at the block and its icy edges.

Ignoring the bumbling male and his useless antics, Midna hovered over the center of the floor and calculated.

Slide the stone to the left and it will bump against the edge.

From there, a nudge to the right and it will rest against a stub of ice. If Link pushed it towards the south, the block will land over the switch and hopefully, allow them passage to the courtyard.

Still mumbling and wiping a dribble of soup leaking through the corners of his lips, Link navigated the block according to Midna's instructions, and the hunk of stone rested on the fettered floor switch. For five long seconds, nothing happened and the human glared at his companion. "It didn't work," he griped and marched to the door. The basalt gate groaned apart to reveal a snow covered courtyard and an army of chilfos.

"Duck!" Midna yelled.

A group of tall, white bodies crowded the opening and leveled their glass spears at Link. A wave of elongated icicles soared through the air and Link pulled out his shield. A shard bounced against the middle and crumbled to frost.

He backed into the room.

More projectiles arced through the air; one impaled his shoulder, the other skewered his thigh. An icy tip vaulted for his forehead and he crouched, letting the spear crash uselessly against the block of stone. Grappling with the icicle in his shoulder, he dislodged it, threw the steaming, bloodied spear back and tossed a windstorm. Used to the raging blizzards of Snowpeak, the chilfos huddled against the tornado and waited for the magical storm to die.

Spearheads glinting, they spilled inside the room, their fragile bodies glimmering menacingly.

Left leg numb, and back pressed on the stone, Link hopped, brandishing his sword to keep the nearest chilfos at bay. Ice spear and steel sung a duet, clangs echoing in the darkened room. Arm shuddering, he stabbed a chilfos through its glassy rib and blanched when the blade refused to come out. His eyes stung and a warm tear sailed down his cheek.

The chilfos pressed mindlessly, stacking against the one in front and fanning out on either side.

Letting go of the sword, Link swiped sideways with his shield, letting out an enraged howl. The Hylian shield rammed into the monsters' chests and they cracked. He lopped off a chilfos head, grabbed the horned, icy skull and bashed it against another monster aiming for his stomach.

A shadow fell over them and Link looked up.

Face screwed in a sadistic smile, Midna balanced the stone cube above her head. Wrenching his sword from where it cushioned in a chilfos' ribcage, the human hobbled out of the way as the cube descended.

Silvers of ice exploded outwards, inking a mesh of scars on Link's face. Reveling in the chaos, the imp's grin stretched wider till Link dragged her away from the shrapnel. Clutching a fistful of his tunic, she turned to the carnage and the glee in her face faded.

She yanked a piece of melting ice from his arm. "I think...I enjoy killing things." Midna stared at her hands, veined in turquoise. "Hmph, I guess I'm no better than those monsters on the floor."

The human refused to comment; Link drowned a potion and eyed the fused shadow on her head. Floating to the ground, Midna kicked a piece of chilfos away and rocketed to the air when a pair of hands grabbed her headpiece.

"What...What are you _doing?_" she screeched and twisted when Link did not relinquish his grip. "_Let go of me._" Midna warned. Wrestling the thrashing imp into the crook of his arm, Link attempted to pull the fused shadow off her head. "Huma-" she paused when he pulled the headpiece off and clutched it protectively in his chest. "Give...It back..." Midna desperately reached for the fused shadow and weakly flopped to the floor. "You don't know what you are doing...LINK!"

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Shards of copper and glass**

"I believe I heard your phalanges cracking." The King of Red Lions slowed against the wind and rotated, his neck creaking.

Dumbfounded, Link stared at the blush of crimson staining his felt boot and placed the other cannonball on a crate. The first one rolled, it bumped against the mast, bounced off a barrel and rested at the base of an iron trunk. Hopping delicately on one foot, the boy wrenched the shoe off and examined his mangled toes.

Above them, the sky darkened to pewter. Rolling clouds flashed thunder and seagulls squawked a warning. Triangular fins, a constant companion, peeled away, diving back to the safety of the sunlit sea. Cracking a piece of wood into a splint, Link sat on the edge of the boat, washed his foot and bandaged it with the splint. Gathering water in a bucket, he soaked his bloodied footwear and adjusted the horizontal boom so the boat speeded towards the kraken. With a _Guide to Cannons and Carronades_, open on a chest, he cleaned the cannon while splatters of rain trailed his cheeks and wetted the pages. Dragging his throbbing foot, Link loaded the gunpowder and a cannonball.

The sky churned angrily, a funnel of clouds and wind. A huge shark, snarling, flew over them and disappeared into the waves below. Foamy waters swamped the deck and Link skidded, bare feet sliding on slimy planks. Grunting, he aimed the cannon at the monster thrashing in the middle of the whirlpool and waited.

"Go around," the boy ordered and hurried to collapse the sail. "The wind here is like a vortex, the sail won't work." Chaining himself to the mast, his eyes roamed over the gigantic sea beast. Waves slapped the hull and the little boat rocked dangerously.

A dozen, fluorescent yellow eyes peppered the big Octo's body. Link trained the cannon and fired. The resulting boom exploded in his ear and for a brief minute, he could hear nothing but a shrill ring. Shaking his head irritably, he checked through the telescope and grinned.

One fist sized eye bled, useless.

The second cannon ball hit wide, denting the main body and blasting a chunk of pink kraken flesh into the sea; the monster roared defiantly. A shipwreck rolled towards the boat and boy. Glaring at the debris, Link lopped a bomb at the wooden carcass and splinters rained on his head.

"Out of cannonballs," he reported and hung at the figurehead's neck. "Can we get closer? I can use my boomerang and blind it."

The King of Red Lions shot his passenger a withering look. "You want to get close to it and blind it with your boomerang?" he asked and the duo watched as the cyclone lifted a gigantic mast out of the waters and flung it outside the whirlpool. "I don't think your banana shaped piece of wood will do anything in this weather." Link's arms tightened around the boat's neck. "...Try lighting the cannon again, I'll see what I can do."

Sending the boat an unimpressed stare, he tottered back to the cannon, swaying unsteadily. "If you could shoot magical cannonballs, then why did I break my toes?" Link exasperatedly stated and pointed to his foot. "It hurts," he muttered under his breath. Angling the cannon muzzle to a protruding eye, he lit the fuse and waited for nothing to happen. To his astonishment, a leaden ball soared out of the cannon and crashed against the big octo, sending it toppling to the side. Link gawked at the boat whose painted eyes twinkled mirthfully.

"You don't believe in magic," the boat said and Link lit the fuse again.

Three explosions gouged three eyes. A dead shark bumped against the hull, pushing them further into the whirlpool.

"I think," the boy hollered over the roar of monster and sea, "you are doing a good job of changing my mind."

Whirling winds dimmed in intensity and shafts of sunlight pierced the slate grey cloud cover. Furiously tugging the burdensome cannon and aiming at the eyes, Link dotted the kraken with holes. Big octo's tentacles thrashed for the boat. A cannonball collided with a looming limb, its underside filled with suckers and blood, mixed with water, rained on deck. The monster sunk deeper into the sea and the King of Red Lions struggled against the magnetic pull of the whirlpool center. Thunderous cracks rent the air and at long last, the tentacles stopped waving and limply floated in the sea.

The kraken disintegrated and the clouds parted, letting a flood of sunlight wash the area.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Link slid to the base of the mast and breathed deeply. The monster hunting episode left him exhausted and happy. He bobbed on gentle waves and squinted when a silver...humanoid descended from the sky. Suspicious, he screwed his eye against the spyglass and his mouth fell open. A figure with four limbs and entirely glimmering like quicksilver, hovered a meter above his boat and spoke. The boy registered a few words about his magic meter being extended, although he felt no difference, and the specter vanished in a cloud of graphite dust.

Shrugging at the bizarre experience, Link reached for the map and halted when the boat spoke, "That was a fairy," a snort escaped Link's mouth, "I trust you don't believe in them?"

The boy nodded, much to the boat's surprise. "I've never seen one looking so abnormal before," he admitted. "The ones back at home were tiny," he gestured to his palm, "I could fit them inside my hand. Mostly, they hid in tall grass and fruit trees, if you caught them and blended them with fruit-" the King of Red Lions regarded his passenger with renewed horror, "-they resulted in a delicious and restoring drink." The blonde boy smiled politely and checked the sea chart.

"You eat fairies," the figurehead drily noted, "anything else I should know?"

"I like spear fishing," the child cheekily replied and the two stared at each other.

The spell of silence broke when the King of Red Lions laughed, a booming, nobleman's laugh and Link joined in, small shoulders shaking. He clutched his stomach, wiped the tears streaming down the side of his face and shaded pitch irises from the sun.

"I don't remember," he whispered softly and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I don't think, I've ever laughed this freely after I left Hyrule Castle.

Lacquered eyes pinned the child curled on deck, mouth agape in laughter. The King of Red Lions looked away, a memory tugging his heart.

_That's my boy._

* * *

The submarine reeked of rot. Wood intermingled with the briny stink of fish. Wrapping his hat around his mouth, Link prowled in the dark, sword out and eyes straining. A plump shape brushed against his foot and he whirled around, barely seeing a blinking hazard before throwing himself forward and using his shield to mitigate a bomb blast. As soon as he hit the floor, the stench of rotten wood wafted up his nose and he held his breath. Several other fuses sparked in the dark and he blinked in disbelief. Bombs simultaneously detonating? Hardly fair. Rolling to his feet, he swiped his sword low on the ground and the blade whistled across a multitude of fuses. The orange blazes died and he heard a terrified squeak.

Letting the shield drop, he clamped his hands over a fleshy, furred figure and brought the rat closer to his face. The purple rodent lit a match, accenting beady, plotting eyes and an oversized front tooth. The flared match dropped sideways, caught a bomb flower rooted on the submarine floor and the bomb flashed.

Stepping back, Link threw the rat in the explosion, eyebrows drawn in sympathy. He did not want to hurt the rats...unfortunately the current circumstances forced him to hunt them into extinction.

Lighting a candle bolted to the side of the wall, his eyes widened when the flame showed the deck planted with bomb flowers. Rats scurried to and fro, picking the flowers and lopping them at the human. Standing near the stern, he caught the flashing hazards and lobbed them back, wincing each time a rat imploded, letting loose a haunting squeak. Bits of rat organs, bones and the occasional, intact tail, spread like gore confetti in the cabin, choking it with the smell of metal and death.

The last of the rats screamed vengeance and Link threw his boomerang, pretending not to hear how its skull cracked under impact.

He stepped over a hairless tail and his foot sunk in a warm, disembodied body. Tiny lungs, spongy surfaces filled with blood, depressed under his heel and sprayed a scarlet splatter over the boots. Twirling his sword and sheathing it, Link climbed the ladder leading to the upper decks and snatched a treasure chart from a chest. He surfaced at sunset and grinning, hopped on the boat.

The King of Red Lions pointed to the north west, where the horizon darkened. "We must visit Jabun," he said solemnly, "I have a bad feeling about something."

Noting the pirate's charm wedged between two crates, Link swept the sea with the telescope. "Did your mysterious friend tip you off to something?" The boat nodded vacuously. "You...trust him?" This time, the boat paused before nodding uncertainly. "Jabun is a minor deity, if I'm correct." The boy rummaged through the trunk and flipped through hand written notes. "I believe he might be a descendant of the great Jabu Jabu fish that swallowed the Zora Princess during the-"

"Boy," the boat interjected, voice hoarse, "we need to leave _immediately_. I appreciate your interest in history, but time is not on our side." The winds changed abruptly and the sail billowed in an unnatural gale. The boat spurted forward, flying through the waves.

Seeing the figurehead's mouth pressed into a grim slash instead of a normal, amiable smile, Link's stomach twisted into knots. He did not like this. Adjusting the sail, he listlessly paced the deck while the watercraft cut through the sea, leaving a foaming trail behind. Exhausted by the day's events, Link slunk to the deckhouse and returned with a thin blanket draped over his shoulders. A crescent moon scarred an indigo heaven and he crammed crackers and cheese into his mouth. Gulping a mouthful of water, he strode on the deck some more and eventually sat at in the bow.

"Get some sleep," the King of Red Lions ordered without looking. "There is much distance to cover before seeing Greatfish Isle. It was a long day today, so rest awhile." Instead of leaning against the mast or going back into the safety of the mini deckhouse, Link wrapped his arms around the figurehead's neck and rested his head there. "...I hardly think this is a good place to rest. You will be as stiff as a corpse when you wake up." The boy mumbled in affirmative but failed to move from his spot. "You miss your family," the boat muttered. "Perhaps after we meet with Jabun, we will visit Outset Island and your Grandmother. I know she is will be of little consolation..."

"It's okay," Link sleepily assured, "I have you." He lazily patted the dragonhead's mane. "You're the best boat a guy could ever want." He smiled disarmingly, lowered his head and snored.

* * *

A damning chill roused Link from his sleep. A biting tempest raked through his hair and he jerked awake, reaching for the sword on his back and his fingers closed on air. Shielded by a tall spire of rock, the King of Red Lions turned to see his passenger lean out of the boat and note the situation.

Crashing against the obelisk of stone, the boat moved forward and retreated against his will. "Jabun is gone," the King of Red Lions related calmly. "I think he might have been erased." Alarm flared in the boy's ebony irises and he peered through the cracks in the rock.

Greatfish Island spread under weak moonlight. Ravaged houses, torn palm trees and debris scattered on the beaches. It's gone. Link concluded and his head whipped back to the boat. An entire island, ravaged in a few hours.

Gone.

Gone.

He closed his fist on air and clenched his teeth.

Obliterated.

And a dark skinned Gerudo will pay for his crimes.

* * *

**A/N:** Link finally got to drink the soup of his dreams, which wasn't much consolation because Midna is scaring him. Other Link single handedly executed the rats, was anyone sorry to see them go? No? Excellent.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Although I can't write humor, I hope this story made someone chuckle, if your sense of humor is as weird as mine.

At AkabaneKazama: Right after he got his fingers chopped off, Midna stitched them back together with a bit of her magic, though, he will still feel pain in his fingers from time to time.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Four**

Link rowed furiously against the elements. Wind, water and lightning, obstinately distanced him from the ravaged island and he paddled madly, determined to make it to the shore. Wild waves pushed the King of Red Lions and completely at the mercy of the storm, the hero bit his lip into a bloody mess.

Stunned by the news relayed to him the day before, the boat listlessly followed where the tempest or the boy took him. Fighting tooth and nail, Link jumped ship, much to the King of Red Lions', horror and plunged waist deep into the water.

Iron grey clouds funneled atop Greatfish Isle and rain, falling like wet knives, speared into the terrain below. Wiping his face free from the freezing droplets, the boy trudged ashore, dragging the boat with him. A mop of straw blonde hair plastered the sides of his head. Wading to the beach, he painstakingly hurled the boat on wet sand and the rough rope cut welts into his palm. Tossing a stake and hammering it with detritus, Link wiped his forehead and exhaled. He turned to the ravaged land and skimmed for survivors.

Nothing.

Shards of pottery lay submerged in dark sand, palm fronds tumbled where the gale ushered them, smacking into the conical remains of mud huts. Bracing against the storm, Link ducked when the head of a palm tree tore and whistled above his head. Colorful canoes, smashed on the rocks, littered the beach with gaudy matchsticks. Boots squelching over debris, he kicked a cabbage from the path, hopped over a fallen tree trunk and listened as a thatched roof caved in, falling inside the barely standing hut. Further in, two rock faces, grassy banks dusted with branches, shielded him from the biting sting of the wind and he paused, the right rock face leaned unnaturally. Rubbing blistered palms on his woolen tunic, Link attempted to climb the cliff face, thought the better of it and scampered to the northern shore to examine the broken island from a different perspective.

His breath caught in his lungs. Unable to believe his eyes, he trotted back and back, till the waves lapped on his calf. Screwing the telescope on his eye, he waved it over the highest point of Greatfish Isle and slowly exhaled. Lightning forked across the sky and he flinched, swallowing nervously. Link scanned the bleak horizon for more threats and when none materialized from the fog rolling in on the isle, he darted to the left.

Sea water and swirling sand gushed through the break in the jutting rock face, widening the crack.

At the highest elevated point, a single tree, unscarred, waved its branches proudly.

Heart roaring in his ears, Link stumbled back to the King of Red Lions whose painted eyes fixed on a gash scarring the lacquered prow.

"The island's split in half," the boy choked. "No survivors, I checked. The fences have been broken, the huts are just stumps. An elevated platform of rock somehow broke off and landed on the village, possibly killing every living thing on there." The boat rocked, silent. "King of Red Lions sir..." Link fumbled with his hands. Jabun was the guardian of Nayru's pearl, if he disappeared... "This is _his_ fault," he hissed. "If I simply came here instead of fooling around on the Great Sea, we could still. I could still..." Panting, Link rubbed his temples desperately. "How could I let this happen?" He tugged at the stake tethering the red watercraft to the destroyed Isle. "We must sail for the Forsaken Fortress at once," Link jumped on the swaying deck, "Ganondorf should still be there, in his nest. If we leave now, I will _drain_ the life from him. _I will..._" Body heating to feverish degrees, he tottered to the mast, forcing unresponsive fingers to grapple with a knot. "I'll set this right," he muttered. "Don't worry; we'll get revenge for your friend."

The velvet glove fit snugly over his left palm and fine strings tied it at the wrist. Sitting on his bed and legs kicking the air, Link watched his mother knot the strings in a complicated pattern. Too tired to care, he yawned loudly, swayed and attempted to fall back asleep. Instead, his mother caught him just as he dove for the feather quilt and dragged him out again.

"Time for school dear," she chirped and helped him off the bed. Bare feet landing in a white wool carpet, he shielded his eyes from the rays of sunshine slating through a casement window and trailed behind his mother to the stained oak wardrobe. She forced a pair of shorts and starched shirt on him and when she held the tie, the evil piece of fabric, in her slender hands, Link dashed for the door. "Not so fast," the golden haired woman exclaimed and looped an arm around his waist. Lifted off the floor, Link wriggled uselessly till she gently sat him down on a padded chair and twined the noose around his neck.

"I hate school," Link droned and leafed through a book. "I don't need to go, we have a library and I can learn everything I ever want in here." Pouting, he looked at his mother but she merely smiled. "Mom, they make fun of my knees!" he indignantly added. "Do they even know who Dad is?" he snickered, "I bet when I tell them, they'll lick my boots." Link's mother slapped him lightly on the knobby knee.

She clasped his left hand in hers and marched across the hall leading from his room to the dining chamber. Head turning to the right, Link stared at a portrait edging into his view. When they reached the stair landing, he pulled short and his mother stopped, turning to look at a golden haired man staring them down from a painting.

"You two have the same nose," she commented like she always did and pinched Link's nose, giggling when he scrunched his face. "Listen," she crouched to his level, "after school is adjourned, I want you to wait for us inside the main foyer."

"Fine," Link distractedly answered, standing on tip toe to better scrutinize the painting.

"Link, if there are people telling you to remove your glove, what do you say?"

He spat an expletive and his mother inhaled sharply.

"I will not have such language in this house young man!" Mother seethed through clenched teeth, cheeks reddening. Smirking, Link hugged her around the waist and smiled innocently. "If anyone tells you to remove your glove, you stay away from them, understand?" She stroked his sandy hair.

_You stay away from them._

Link hated the triangle disfiguration winking on the back of his left hand.

However, right now, he will sacrifice his sanity to see it. The Triforce of Courage provided comfort. It provided a reason for his being. It augmented the senseless death of many, many people.

It replaced his parents.

Staring dumbly at the unmarked skin, he splashed water on his face and drifted aimlessly on the sea. The sailcloth sustained a large tear when he unfolded it and half of it drifted into the unknown. Rain speared from the sky, lashing on deck and hammering on his bones. Paddling tiredly, Link shot to his feet when a dark shape loomed against the sky. The figurehead briefly lifted his head and both boat and passenger, gawked when a Rito landed elegantly on the mast, folding its wings away before jumping into the boat.

"Quill?" Link tilted his head. "You _are_ Quill...right?" He remembered the kind Rito.

"I hope you did not bash your head a second time," Quill smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's me." The postman paused. "As usual, you are looking pretty terrible."

The boy grinned ruefully. "Jabun is gone," he reported. "And Nayru's pearl…" No, Link thought, that is not the main problem. "The King of Red Lions needs time to grieve for an old friend." The dragon head jerked, depression briefly melting into surprise. Splashing water filled the awkward silence and trembling in the cold, Link plopped on the side of the deck and played with the oar. "Thereafter, we go after Ganondorf," he said and quickly glanced at Quill.

Dove white hair hanging in damp, ragged strands around his face, the postman's eyes narrowed and searched the horizon. "Ganondorf," he whispered and shivered at the ominous name. "Listen, Greatfish Isle maybe ruined," he addressed the boy crouched on deck, "but all is not lost." The human snorted, hands tightening around the paddle. "Lord Jabun is still alive." Two pairs of eyes bore various degrees of astonishment. "He sensed the storm and relocated himself, obviously his location is a highly guarded secret, but Lord Valoo has caught wind." The Rito extracted a piece of parchment from his tunic pocket. "I'm afraid I cannot read what this says, but the chief said I must give it to you." Quill pressed the paper in Link's hands and feathers sprouted along his arms. "I still have to deliver another message to Forest Haven," he launched to the sky, buffeted by the tempest, "safe passage Link." Quill nodded. "And visit Dragon Roost when you have time."

Irises jumping over the illegible words scrawled on the paper, Link hastily waved to Quill who vanished into the grey clouds and pelting rain. The ink ran on paper and the boy rotated it, struggling to make sense. After several torturous minutes, he held the parchment in front of the boat. "Read," he hoarsely commanded, "I can't, it appears to be a mixture of ancient languages."

Painted eyes, shining prussian blue, gained an animated edge and the King of Red Lion's swerved; knocking against Link's head.

"Jabun is in hiding," the boat exclaimed and Link tossed the paper into the sea. "He is hiding inside a protected cove in Outset Island." The boy started uneasily at the name of the Island. "You are going home, Link."

Instead of correcting the old boat, he simply nodded and repeated the word soundlessly.

_Home_.

The storm raging on Greatfish Isle seemed to contaminate surrounding areas. Torn sail cloth flapping in the wrath infused wind, he set a course for the south and the boat advanced through the choppy seas in fits and waves.

One and a half days later, the duo arrived at the Islet of Steel. The tiny landmass, famous for deposits of pure metallic ores, contained long smokestacks and belched smoke, night and day. A cloud of black topped the cylindrical funnels and the beaches tinted slate. Bumping to a stop on steel and concrete pier, Link eyed the numerous cargo vessels bobbing close by and searched for humans. A guard's booth beckoned him and marching to the shack of wood and iron, he knocked politely on the door.

Snores greeted his knocking and growing impatient, he kicked the door apart and stood in the ruined threshold.

A guard, olive green beret skew and drool running down the corner of his bearded chin, jerked awake and regarded the child skeptically. Relaxing when the sallow skinned brat stepped inside the room and apologized for accidentally breaking the door, the sentry leaned on the spindly chair and pompously laced his arms over his chest. "Now lad, there is no need for apology. If you came here to seek work, perhaps you should try again when you have more meat on your arms, eh?" The man laughed at his own joke and Link rolled his eyes, mentally noting the polearm balanced on a dusty crate. "Run along home now, my hands are full of work." Saying this, the guard turned and shuffled papers on a tiny desk.

Striding forward, Link asked for a needle and a spool of thread and the man breathed impatiently.

"Did you not hear my words? I don't have time to entertain you _boy_," the boy stiffened, "go back to whatever cave you crawled out from, my job here is of the utmost importance."

Again, Link explained his predicament, a boy stranded on sea, en route to home, but a torn sailcloth slowed the journey to an agonizing crawl.

"Please, I won't bother you any longer; I need string and a needle to repair it," Link requested and politely bowed, the top of his fringe brushing the dusty surface of the metal desk.

The man sighed and got up. "I don't have a needle and you will get out or else I'll kick you to the Forsaken Forest." Unfazed, Link stood his ground and the guard's face flushed purple. "Insolent brat!" he hissed and bent low to seize the child's arm.

A skinny hand shot out and grabbed the man's shirt collar. Fingers tightening around the starched material, Link pulled the man closer to his face and slowly, unsheathed his sword.

A silver blade scraped against the man's chin, shaving his unkempt beard. "Tsk officer, your beard is as nasty as the rest of you," Link tutted. The sword touched skin and the guard quivered, eyes widening in terror. "Each morning when I wake up, I make sure to scrape my chin clean," the young human rubbed his cheek on his shoulder, "though, I'm glad to be relieved of that chore since I woke up here." The blade tip, glinting wickedly, rested underneath the man's quivering bottom lip. "Don't squirm; I don't want to get your blood on my sword."

The man nodded, endured another few minutes of shaving and gasped when Link pushed him back. Stumbling into a chair, he petrified when the boy twirled his sword and buried it in a leather holster.

"May I have the needle and thread or shall I work on your hairy forearms next?" Link asked, lip curling into an amused half smile. Hands shaking, the guard fumbled in the drawers, withdrew a set of needles and a spool of thread. Packing them in a paper bag, he shoved it in Link's arms. "Thank you very much." The boy dipped his head and headed towards the door. Pausing at the mangled gate, he pointed to the polearm. "I advise you to practice with that," he stated, "it must be humiliating, to be bested by a child." A short, mocking laughter trailed after the devil child and the guard slid from his chair and crumpled to the ground, he touched his chin and wildly fumbled for a mirror.

A semi-clean shaven face stared back from the looking glass. Marveling at his new appearance, the guard vainly studied himself from all angles. The brat could do a mean shave...

Sloshing through the water and jumping on deck, Link set to work, threading the string in the needle's eye and unfurling the torn sail cloth. The King of Red Lions watched him for as the sun marched overhead, drowning and surfacing behind golden clouds. "The thread will not hold," the boat interjected when Link pricked himself for the fifth time, "and you are at the risk of an infection." The human wiped his fingers on an alcohol seeped cloth. "I see a storm coming." To the south, clouds rolled, a crimson bank. "Journeying to Outset will be difficult; it is sunny to the north," the watercraft mumbled to himself and eyed the Pirate's charm, an air of restlessness in his creaking movements.

With one eye on the figurehead and the other on the scarlet droplets blooming on the rice white sail cloth, Link calmly stabbed his finger for the seventh time and glared at the needle. Dipping his finger in a shallow dish of alcohol, he endured the sting with a grimace.

"I could never keep anything from my mother," he spoke, "she always knew if something plagued me." Bandaging his fingertips, he rummaged in the crates and withdrew an apple. "My parents kept me hidden from the world. They told me the Triforce of Courage was a birthmark and insisted on covering it up." Teeth bit into the apple and he savored the fruit before swallowing and continuing. "They lied to me." The wind bore the acrid stench of ash and metal. "And when I was eight years old, the royal sages took me away for a proper upbringing and I studied alongside Princess Zelda." Tossing the apple core in a crate especially reserved for waste, Link retrieved an orange and peeled it. "What I'm saying is, I don't trust anyone easily. However, I trust you and I want you to place your faith in me. I'm not a brat. I'm not a child." He stopped. "I'm a man and I'm prepared for everything and anything."

The King of Red Lions did not doubt Link's words, smiling genially; he pointed a square chin to the north. "Jabun is safe, for now. Quill's message soothed my anxieties," the watercraft admitted. "I have a niggling problem, it concerns you." The boy viciously squashed an orange segment in his mouth. "No doubt the pirates will pose little problem for you," Link sighed, "but my spy works amongst them. Physically, he is unimposing, but the tricks he pulls, drives everyone in circles." The hero crossed the deck and buried his upper body in the food crate while the King of Red Lions added, "I have a score to settle with him if you don't mind." Surfacing with a slab of cheese Link smiled crookedly, tar irises gleaming. "We have to sail for Windfall, there is someone I must see."

"Your old friend who needs a hiding?"

"No," the boat's voice dropped reverently, "someone more important."

* * *

The interior of the respected establishment stank of gunpowder, unlit fuses and danger. Ten people prowled the stone floor, poking in corners and marveling at the giant bomb sculpture displayed at the counter.

Business was bad tonight, Cannon contemplated and shifted, immediately rope bit into his wrists and thighs. The great oak door, metal rivets bent, was shut and a bar placed over it, preventing entry. Quiet sniggers and price comparisons drifted from the unsavory men waltzing inside the shop and overhead, the bulb flickered, afraid of the pirates currently stripping the bomb shop of everything valuable.

Reclining in an easy chair, the pirate captain held a lantern to illuminate a corner of the bomb shop. Situated behind the counter, a stretch of grey stone, fortified with yew beams, held the secrets of bomb making. Chemical equations and quantities glimmered on paper greyed with age. Eyebrow cocked and not understanding anything scribbled on the walls, Tetra leaned back on her cane chair and waited. Her boys loaded sacks with precious bombs and the owner trembled, struggling to speak against the gag stuffed in his mouth.

Rising from the chair, she stalked to the front and flicked her ornate dagger. Scrambling to a lookout, a platform leading to the exterior, she perched on the edge and grinned proudly at the ship anchored to the bank. The Pirate's ship, black sail cloths billowing, struck fear in the hearts of anyone who laid eyes on it and she preferred it that way. On the crow's nest, Gonzo waved his meaty arms and she stood.

The signal.

Screwing a slim, silver telescope to her eye, she squinted. The night created a perfect cover for anyone to sail unnoticed and dark clouds smothered moonlight. Tetra waited for this particular individual for almost ten days and her trusty crewmember announced he would arrive, but when? Her boys were tired of Windfall Island, the town's peaceful ways did not enthuse a pirate. Through the spyglass, she observed a bright red boat sailing through indigo waters and a young, blonde boy at the mast. Link appeared to have lost weight...She scrutinized him thoroughly, no, the ordeal stole more than his weight.

It changed him entirely.

Smirking, she lowered the telescope and followed the crimson speck as it curved away from her brigantine and quite brazenly, stopped in its shadow.

Tetra grinned and dropped into the bomb shop, ordering one of her men to bring her the cane chair. She sat in it, waiting for an old acquaintance.

And for his long overdue travelling fees.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Death is an art**

He examined the fused shadow in the light of a torch while Midna gasped on the floor.

His chest hurt.

"Link, I want to tell you something." Rusl sat on the oakwood chair and placed a bowl of warm beef stew on the table.

Slouching on the opposite side, Link listlessly stirred his breakfast and eyed the stream wafting from the covered dish. Pushing his porridge away, he eagerly spooned carrots and cubes of meat in his mouth and moaned in delight.

"I believe you know about the fused shadows?" Rusl asked and the adolescent raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well then," the man scratched his beard helplessly, eyeing the books lined on wooden shelves, "fused shadows are pieces of concentrated old magic, used by the Twilli race." Link sniggered; one of those Twilli currently resided in his head. "I am not clear on the details, but it seems the Twilight Princess is in dire need of our help." Rusl's voice dropped dramatically and half listening, Link worked his way through the stew, pausing occasionally to stare vacantly at the blonde man. "Princess Zelda is stuck in a tower, and it is through a great struggle that we came to know this information." The stew finished and Link burped loudly. "Son, the Twilight Princess is in possession of these fused shadows and no doubt she will hunt the scattered pieces down." Link nodded and assured Rusl that they already collected one. The man's mouth dropped open and he composed himself. "I understand, but remember, they have a vastly corrupting influence. Those wearing the ancient, condensed magic are ultimately driven to madness."

Two saffron eyes glowered at him; a spill of ginger hair fell in tatty strands around her pointy ears and rounded shoulders. Midna attempted to get up, but her arms failed to hold her weight. Fang glinting vengeance in the half light, she clawed her way across the ice, crushing broken chilfos fragments beneath curled fists.

"You are scaring me," Link confessed and hugged the head piece. "Midna, you are not the same anymore."

"Try having your kingdom and everything you care about ripped from you," she snarled, propping on her elbows. "Try living in fear-" the words died in her throat when Link raised the fused shadow above his head. "No! Don't you dare break that thing I will k-"

"You will what?" Link barked. "You will what? Kill me?" Midna glared at him, a writhing ball of hate. "Ever since Zeldy evaporated for you," the imp twitched at the mispronunciation, "you've become more and more reckless." He lowered the headpiece, much to her relief. "I know I'm just a pawn to you," ice blue eyes glazed over for a second, "but you care about the princess very much. Do you think she'll want to meet you like this?" Link pointed an accusing finger at the imp struggling on the ground. "You saved my life many, many times and I'm very happy to still be alive. None of this makes sense to me; I'm not even supposed to be here." He wiped his eyes on the tunic's soiled sleeve. "You use the power of the fused shadow too much," he lectured, "and its turning you into a monster."

He walked to Midna and carefully scooped her up. She hissed and held him at arm's length.

"Since you take care of me most of the time, this time, I'll be the one taking care of you."

Clouds unveiled a full moon, pacing restlessly on the porch; Link bounced Aryll on his shoulder. His baby sister, little white teeth emerging from swollen gums, stared at the pale white disc hanging in a star spangled sky. For one full minute, her eyes absorbed the constellations before she turned to Link. Grinning crookedly and missing a few teeth of his own, Link suffered a poke to the bags underneath his eyes and pulled his head away when Aryll grabbed his hair. She shrieked, pink flooded her cheeks and a tiny foot connected against Link's stomach.

The door to their cottage groaned open on rusted hinges and Grandma stood, framed by warm firelight. "I got this," Link obstinately stated and let his adorable baby sister gnaw on his favorite stuffed toy. Legs numbed, he patted her back till the gnawing noises stopped and till her head lolled like a comforting weight in the crook of his neck.

Midna looked at him, glare softening into something he could not name. He pushed her untidy shock of hair away from her two toned face. "I cannot survive without the fused shadow," she said and became limp. "I possess great magic but all of it has been ripped from me. This..." she pointed to herself and chuckled bitterly, "is not even my proper form." Link briefly wondered how the real Midna looked. Maybe she had normal skin like him but kept her blue veins? "The fused shadow keeps me alive," the human opened his mouth to argue, but a howl of wind stole his words. "I know it corrupts, but it is a gamble I'm willing to bet on."

Eyes seesawing between the pathetic image of Midna, nestled in his arm, and the fused shadow gripped in his fingers, Link reluctantly offered the headpiece to her.

"Put it in your hair hole," he commanded. "I don't want to see you wearing that thing for...for a long time." The intricately carved piece vanished in the hyper dimension and he exhaled, breath clouding in frosty air. "When you are well again, you can wear it and help me. For now, stay in my shadow and don't come out." His body cast an exaggerated shadow on the icy floor and he placed Midna in the stretch of grey, color leached from her skin, yellow eyes glowed eerily against her charcoal outline and she melted. "I'm going to finish this temple by myself." Link rotated his arms, teeth clenched in determination. "I got this."

He stepped into the snow piled courtyard and the skin of his face numbed. A freezard, opaque swirls cloaking around it, blew a gust of freezing wind and Link jumped away, shaking the thin layer of frost collecting on his gloves. Bow drawn, he felled three wolfos before the pack turned tail and retreated, their yowls echoing through the ruins of Snowpeak Mansion. Limping diagonally across the courtyard, Link inspected a square door, cut into the building. Entering the corridor, he loped to a pair of sturdy, double doors and a long chamber crawling with mini-freezards skating on a floor covered in rime. Holding the bow steady, he breathed cold air and aimed when the little monsters tumbled closer to him.

Thwack! An arrow buried in the leading mini-freezard's eye. The monster petrified and shattered into fragments of ivory crystal.

Cautiously, he advanced inside the room, gliding along the treacherous surfaces. Fixed cannons, mounted to rotatable platforms, occupied four corners of the rectangular room and his hands brushed against old armor. Polished metal shining under a layer of ice. The exit, barred by an artic blue glacier, leered at him and Link spent the next hour chipping at the ice and drinking another bottle of soup.

Despite his constant grumbling, the quietude in his head unnerved him. Spinning on his heel and giggling when the room dissolved into a whirlpool of greys and blues, he paused, dizzy and gaping at the cannon. Its muzzle faced the barred exit. Grinning, he skipped to the weapon, slipped and came to a sliding stop at the base of the raised platform.

Sticking his head inside the bore, Link noted a cannon ball already loaded inside. He could not reach it. Cleaning soot from his sleeve, he tugged the fuse, pressed it down and the rope disappeared. The crate placed next to the cannon held no interest to him and he examined the circular vent hole, putting his eye against it and seeing pitch black surroundings.

Straightening with a ring of black around his eye socket, Link contemplated. He pulled a bomb out of his bomb bag, lit it and dropped it in the gaping vent. Crouching, his excitement mounted when the cannon rumbled.

A sphere of iron exploded out of the cannon and the deafening sound blasted Link's ear drums. Clapping his hands to his ears, he got up, fearful when no other sound penetrated through the ominous ringing. Unbalanced, he tottered to the large hole and a frigid breeze skimmed his face. Delicately, he eased out of the chamber and tugged his earlobes, desperately willing for the humming to stop.

By the time Link reduced a freezard into splinters of nevermelting ice (take that you undefeated monster!), he became fond of cannons. Being partially deaf wasn't so bad, he reassured himself, when only the raging howls of monsters reached his ears.

Another cannon shot reduced a sturdy wooden door into brown matchsticks and he stepped into a well-lit corridor. His cheeks prickled. Link wiped the tears leaking from his eyes and furiously inhaled the snot threating to slip out of his nostrils. Fingers warmed, his joints cracked. The toasty heat, after the damning chill of the courtyard, washed his body in an unpleasant, pins and needles sensation. A second door, set into the dreary corridor of stone and iron bars, swung open easily at his touch and Link quickly backtracked, unease bubbling in his chest.

Slipping through the tiny crack made by the door, he soundlessly stepped in a hallway with slate tiles. Circular bars of steel, like the ones in Arbiter's Grounds, roped both wings of the chamber, leaving a thin strip of rectangle waning into shadows. A net of metal suspended above him and Link felt like he walked into a cage. Spears, swords with broad, flat blades and cannons lay behind the bars. Turning around, he retraced his steps to the door and paused when the soft shuffle of feet, landed on stone.

How come he heard _each _and_ every_ sound now?

The adolescent halted with his back to the adversary. Panic rooted him to the spot.

The monster behind him shuffled forward, the scrape of a boot preceded a dull grinding of something heavy being dragged across the floor. Heart pumping, Link snuck a look over his shoulder.

And color drained from his already colorless face.

Armed in shiny steel from head to toe, Link's terrified expression reflected from the monster's helm. It hauled a gigantic, spiked ball of steel and the floor trailed tangerine sparks. Mouth dry, he reached for the Master Sword and pressed the blade to his lips. Inside his head, Midna stirred and he closed his eyes, reaching for courage and confidence.

"Don't die," she whispered. "Don't leave me behind."

The Darkhammer, helmet plumes waving in soft breeze, twirled the chain and the ball lifted off the ground. A swinging, spiked hammer.

Breathing heavily, Link heard the whoosh of air as it circulated wildly above his head and he dropped into a back-slice. Alas, his sword caught the edge of the armor and ripped it off right as the ball descended, a mere millimeter from his toes. Quickly offering a prayer to the Great Deku Tree, Link jumped over the weapon, drove the tip of his sword into a chink in the Darkhammer's armor and grabbed the monster's breastplate, peeling it off and wincing when fingertips touched slimy scales. Hopping to the side, he ducked when the ball crashed above his head, denting the metallic bars.

Aim for the lethal organs, he remembered both the Twilli and Shade advising him. The ghost commanded honor, his sword strikes a precise art. Sweating, Link dodged another blow to his midsection and wondered if he should aim for the heart or the exposed nape. Dishonorable yes, however...

There was no honor in death.

The steel girdles above spanned the entire length of the room. Grey stone walls sucked in light and the ominous dragging of spikes against slate poured from the shadow clad end. Fumbling for his clawshot, Link zipped upwards, in an instant, the shiny sphere hurtled out of the gloom and mauled his left leg.

Screaming, he let go and fell to the floor, pain juddered up his spine. Blood leaked from the punctures. Holding his sword with both hands Link charged. The blade pierced through scales, through leathery skin and cleaved tough muscle and bone.

Tottering backwards, the Darkhammer let go of the chain and Link pulled his blade out a fraction before hammering it back in the monster's ribcage. It shuddered. A column of blood, crimson like the feathers decorating its helm, stained Link's hand guards and the monster fell on its back, gurgles muffled by the steel helmet on its head.

Gathering the bulky ball and chain, Link experimentally twirled it and buried the sphere into the other end of the corridor. The door offered no resistance. Solid oak and bronze hinges crumpled under the weapon's might and Link flew along, dragged by his new wrecking ball. Instead of feeling dismayed, he eagerly smashed everything breakable, from the partitions of ice, to the glacial monsters. Chilfos, which posed a real threat, splintered before his ball and chain and Link could not be happier.

Unfortunately, the weapon required precise handling, strategy and great reserves for energy.

But who cared about strategy?

The crackling of ice sounded like music to his ears. His muscles screamed when he held the ball but the constant action ensured proper blood flow to his extremities. Pulling his cap off a sweaty forehead, Link stuffed it in his pocket and demolished everything in his way. Pieces of mortar and stone blocks, foundations of the ruins, broke alongside freezards and their offspring. The ball and chain glanced back from sturdier materials such as cannons and bars and bounced on the floor, uprooting rotten tiles.

Brimming with new confidence, he spun around a once luxurious room (or so it appeared to his disinterested eye) and the silver, spiked ball, rammed into the chilfos leaking into the room. A chest stood in front of a roaring, white stone fireplace. Crushing the chilfos into a pile reminiscent of shaved ice, Link wiped his face, irritably pulled his tunic and rotated to open the box. Inside a pink velvet pad, he plucked an intricately shaped key with grimy, blood stained fingers and examined it in the fire light.

"Some sort of stone," he muttered and examined the jeweled key. The Twilli remained silent in his head.

Shrugging, Link dragged the ball and chain and once again, stepped outside to the freezing courtyard where Yeta waited for him patiently, snow piling on her head.

"You should've waited inside," he spluttered and pressed the key into her warm, leathery palms. She gazed at the key lovingly before cinnamon eyes gleamed in unnatural fright. "Don't worry," Link voiced in a tone which prompted any sane creature to worry. "I'll take the mirror and this place will be free from whatever evil forces it's carrying." He smiled shakily and followed Yeta as she slowly climbed an incline and veered to a stone door set into tower capped in silver tiles. The white furred monster hesitated before the gaudy lock and Link took the moment to drown the last of his delicious, albeit freezing soup.

They entered a bare, circular room with only a few windows placed higher in the tower. Yeta, reluctance in her stride, waddled to a dead fireplace and reached out for the mirror shard. At once, her wary expression melted and she gazed lovingly at the etched looking glass, admiring her reflection. Link could not resist rolling his eyes and reached for the mirror shard.

Yeta clutched the jagged edge in her palm and whipped around, cutting a red line across his cheek. Blinking and touching the blood welling in the cut, he held out his palm to Yeta.

"Give me the Twilight mirror shard," Link ordered hoarsely, trying to keep his voice even. Scarlet crept in her limpid brown irises and she bared elongated fangs. "The mirror shard Yeta," he advanced, driving her into a corner, "give it to me, I came for it."

She clutched the silver of mirror to her chest and hissed. "No take mirror," her tone wounded like a snake around Link's neck, squeezing the breath out of him. "No take MIRROR!" Yeta roared and the windows cracked, showering glass on the floor, Link reeled his ball and chain, preparing to smash the floor and scare her into letting the mirror go; alas, freezing winds, bearing deposits of white ice, circled around her, cocooning Yeta and the mirror. Moving back, Link stared, unable to believe what the mirror had done to a kind and gentle creature.

Heart heavy, he raised the ball and chain.

He hated this.

He did not want to do this.

However, the Triforce of Courage, winked steadily at the back of his hand.

* * *

Tears froze on his lashes and at the bottom of his eyes. One, a solid droplet, bit into his cheek.

Bitter tears revive no one.

Yeta, static on the icy floor, gripped the mirror shard. Link pried cold, stiff fingers off the accursed silver and tried to carry her. Bleeding from a dozen superficial wounds, right leg numbed and chest bruised, he huffed towards the door before collapsing. The stiffened from of Yeta slipped to the glacial, polished floor and he stood over her, fresh tears warming his cheek.

A shadow fell in the doorway. A monster. A white furred creature.

Yeto.

The snow creature stepped in the bedroom, leathery feet shuffling cautiously. Inside the circular chamber, the air hung, oppressive and crisp.

Mechanically rotating to the approaching Yeto, Link sunk to his knees, the piece of Twilight Mirror in his hands. "I'm sorry," he apologized and bowed. "I'm sorry," he repeated when Yeto cradled the inert body on the floor, brushing eyelids over lifeless, cinnamon irises. "She turned into a monster," Link choked, "she didn't give me the mirror...Or maybe she couldn't." Midna peeked above his shadow, saffron eyes glued to the furry corpse and the human spoke to her, his tears freezing. "You..." his voice quivered, "you could've ended up like her." The whisper cut deep, it rebounded off stark walls and the glass fragments sprinkled over the floor. "I can't..." Link buried his face in his knees, "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Link must," Yeto muttered, tone thick with sadness. "You must, to save others." Thick grey fingers stroked Yeta's cheek. "So mirror cannot take them away...Like Yeta." The human looked up, uncertainty clashing against the dim fire in the snow monster's eyes. "Mirror bad." Yeto hung his head. "Very bad," he softly intoned.

By late evening, Link warped back to the north of Faron woods. Midna jammed the fused shadow on her head and the asymmetrical mask covered one of her eyes. Link wondered if he could chip the piece away, he liked looking at her yellow eyes, so different from any person he came across. The smell of pine and tart, inedible fruit, wafted to his nose as he landed on a carpet of grass and brown leaves.

Manacle jingling, he crawled to the base of a tall conifer tree and rested there, mentally and physically exhausted. The resistance members held the second location of the Mirror of Twilight, with any luck, Rusl would be at home and Link will not have to ride all the way to Castle Town.

The fragrant air hummed with insects. Birdsong weaved between tree trunks. Rolling into a ball of grey and blue, Link closed his eyes, thinking of tales to tell Grandma. He couldn't really say he killed Yeta right? But Grandma always said to be honest, even if the truth was bitter, Grandma never spanked him if he told the truth.

He wondered if the captors gave Aryll enough food and drink. They probably locked her up in an airless cell, devoid of sunny breezes.

Link missed the ocean...

Sensation melted but his ears remained cocked. Thought and feelings deadened and he drifted into sleep.

"It's been rather quiet and peaceful lately." Two men strode on the forest floor, feet crunching leaves and twigs. "Don't you think it's safe for the children to return?" Another man hummed. "I mean, Link is where now? Snowpeak? The poor lad has his hands full, if Jaggle can keep an eye on things for two weeks or so, I'll get them back. It's lonely without the kids." The man broke off and stopped, angling his head to the sky.

Dreamless sleep shattered, Link raised his head, sharpened gaze landing on the forms of Rusl and Mayor Bo. Swords hung at both men's waist and the Bo carried an additional axe, hitched with leather cords on his back.

"So where are you headed?" the mayor enquired, "it's getting late, we should head back home."

Rusl, eyebrows drawn, pondered. "You should head back," he said and nodded in the vague direction of Ordona Village, "there is something I must check." A pause. "And no, it cannot wait till tomorrow, if you will, check up on Uli for me."

The setting sun set the forest ablaze in hues of olive and amber. The two parted on good terms and Mayor Bo's bulk stamped through the forest trail, flattening grass and killing insects. Rusl stood on his spot for some time and slowly picked through the twisting trees. Stepping in the human's footsteps, the sacred wolf followed and Midna warned him not to show his presence to other humans. Man and beast continued for a mile, withered pine needles poked chapped paw pads and Link followed, careful not to make a single sound.

Shadows latticed the leaf littered ground and Rusl stopped at a junction leading to the left. The trees thinned and without light, Link could not read the man's expression. The blonde man placed a hand over the hilt of his sword and the sacred wolf slunk closer. From the large stain of black behind him, Midna emerged.

"He knows something." She studied the human. "I can feel it." Turning to Link, the imp added, "go back and turn into a human, then talk to him." The sacred wolf shook its furry head. "Link, these villagers are afraid of predators, they kill them. And you look very much like those things on their kill list." Midna snarked and threw her hands in the air. She watched the wolf crawl out of shadow and stealthily approach the human, in dying sunlight, his head glowed gold.

The sacred grove, situated in the bowels of a hill, stretched before him to the left and Rusl paused at the entrance to the valley. He became aware of a presence in north Faron woods and despite his training; he failed to classify the presence.

Threat? Or Good fortune?

Link's reckless behavior for the past six months worried him greatly, the villagers admired the boy for keeping a cool head and swiftly dealing with the monsters skirting outside the hamlet however...Rusl rubbed his brow, ever since the attack at Ordona springs Link changed. Fear permanently stained the blue in his eyes and he neglected to take care of himself.

The shapeless presence loomed closer and the man tightened his grip on the pommel of his sword. He waited till the creature stepped into the open and Rusl whipped around, drawing his sword in one fluid motion and slicing the blade across a wolf's throat. Staggering, he poised the sword tip between the handsome monster's eyes and the wolf slunk back, disbelief creeping into its features.

Disbelief and fear. The color of its eyes, Rusl noted, was an _icy_ _blue_.

The canine gurgled, pawing at the lacerated vein spurting blood but it did not attack.

Sword blade lowering, Rusl stared into the wolf's eyes, heart beating a drum in his chest. The sword fell from his limp grasp and he stared, eye brows rising.

"Link?"

* * *

**A/N:** I remember in Snowpeak, Link collecting the hearts bouncing out of Yeta and Yeto's love. In this story, she's dead as a doornail, it was sad to see her go, she and Link were bonding over soup.

Chicken noodle soup…with a soda on the side; some weird song my beloved Mindy sings these days. The lyrics make no sense and sometimes, I sit and wonder what goes on in her head. Soup is comforting for winter though, it's getting cold here. Brr.

At Elmund9: I quite enjoyed cracking innocent WW Link and throwing him into a whirlpool of despair! Okay, I'm joking, I didn't actually enjoy heaping all those horrors on him, the poor kid deserves a break. But writing savage TP Link is a real pleasure.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Chicken noodle soup for all those who need it.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Sins of the sun**

"That's a lot of bandages on your throat, grasshopper knight," Agitha commented and poured Link a cup of hot chocolate; he eagerly pulled off his newly washed gloves and wrapped scarred fingers around the mug, inhaling the steam.

"Yes," Midna clamored in his head, "I'm sure you can boast about being killed by Rusl one day."

Despite the lancinating pain periodically stabbing his throat, Link grinned widely; he finally confessed his excruciating experiences to the blonde man and spent a night alternately howling and crying in Rusl's lap. Having a real foster father was not all bad; he concluded and sipped the chocolate drink, savoring the tooth aching sweetness.

After Rusl realized what he done, he carried the sacred wolf all the way back to Ordona and nursed the creature in Link's house. One morning, he walked in with pumpkin pie to see Link emerge with tousled hair and swathe of scratchy bandages wound around his neck.

"The hot chocolate is delicious." Link pushed his empty mug to the eccentric girl. She paused, looked at him with fathomless, amethyst eyes and smiled, pouring the glorious brown liquid in his mug. "I got new bugs for you," he stated and presented a cardstock mounted with various butterflies. "I caught them near my house in Ordona, though I'm not sure if I mounted them properly."

Blushing, Agitha pulled the sheet of paper towards her. Lamps, reminiscent of the bioluminescence in the waters around Outset Beach, glowed in her house and a never ending fire cackled cheerfully in an ivory fireplace. The girl dedicated her wall space to the display of vividly colored bugs and Link grinned, finally, someone appreciated the art of critter catching.

She got up from her winged back chair, clutching the newest display protectively to her chest; Link often wondered where she came from, near the fireplace, a myriad of shelves displayed thick tomes on insects and their studies. Dresses of mauve silk (maybe purple wasn't _so_ bad) flared around her and gold glinted in her earlobes. Rich. Link sagely nodded.

Rich and lonely.

"You know," the imp piped, "why don't you ask her for a promotion, from grasshopper knight to Prince of the bug Kingdom?" It took several minutes for him to understand the implications behind her words and once he did, heat spread across his cheeks and he drowned his cocoa. "Oh, don't be modest," he could _feel_ Midna poking him, "I'm sure she won't mind having a strong prince to protect her and she is close to your age."

"She's fourteen," Link muttered under his breath and flushed, he pictured Midna's taunting smirk. _How do you know?_ "She...looks fourteen," he lamely conceded and placed the mug on the polished teakwood table, careful not to scratch it. "And besides, I have a girl-friend already."

"Pfft." Midna scoffed

Swallowing the last of the hot drink, he attempted to hurry out of his chair before Agitha returned and offered him strawberry tarts. Refusing them was impossible. Instead, Link's legs tangled with the chair and he fell into a heap of objects strewn across the satin rug placed on the floor. Trinkets, shaped like scarab beetles, tickled his nose and a myriad of crystal fireflies nestled in his hair.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked in her lazy drawl. Link blushed, dusted the objects off his head and grinned assuredly. "Your bandages," Agitha bent closer and he backpedalled furiously, knocking his head against the side of the table. "Ooh, that must have hurt," she remarked and gestured at her neck. "Blood is soaking into your bandages." Her eyes skipped over the jars lining a wooden shelf near the stove and she smiled. "Let me change them for you," she trilled and skipped away, skirts rustling and jewelry twinkling.

"I'm alright." Link croaked and peeked over the table, the gauze around his neck felt soggy and he eyed the door, shoulders drooping when Agitha returned with a jar of mint colored fluid and new linen. "I really need to get home; the man looking after me must be worried." He touched his throat. "I'll come back again." She smiled, her lips tinged by sadness. "We can have picnics by the flowers and..." Link stopped babbling, if Agitha pulled her hair loose, she reminded him of Aryll. "And we can go bug hunting." He beamed and reached out to tuck a strand behind her ear, fingers lingering a second too long near her cheek. "The next time I come back, I won't be wearing this anymore," he pointed to his stiff collar, speckled in red.

Waving, he stepped out the door, into the cool, stone streets of Castle Town and exhaled, opening a hand to see a crystal firefly nestled in his palm. Thankfully Midna remained quiet and he slipped the carving into his pocket.

And wondered if it will survive the journey back home.

* * *

Broken stone idols, surfaces carpeted by fuzzy green moss, lay in the sacred grove. Grass swallowed some of their grey forms, other ruins towered over Link, blocking sunlight in patches of irregular shapes. Twilight swept the area and he shivered in the dank cold blowing from the west. A marble pedestal, missing a sword, jutted in the ground in front of him.

Long ago, the hero remembered Rusl's words; this place housed a palace the likes of Hyrule Castle. The Master Sword rested in the plinth but due to unforeseen circumstances, the Royal Family plucked the sword from its sacred resting place and used it to seal a rock of sorts. Carved lettering bloomed underneath Link's fingers and he squinted, unable to read the Hylian language.

Moving to the left, he set up camp, fatigue sunk in his bones and while he shuffled, hammering tent pegs in crumbling ground and inhaling a bowl of oatmeal, he thought of Skull Kid.

The mid-afternoon sunlight flickered through birch pines and birdsong filled the air. Polishing the last of Uli's pumpkin pie and licking his fingers, Link followed Midna's instructions and winded through the trails, kicking red and brown, crinkly leaves in the air. The undercurrent of mold assaulted his nostrils and he sneezed several times. Sacred grove, a catacomb of rocky tunnels and trees, led him in circles. Helplessly, the duo paused at the entrance of a barred tunnel and glanced at each other.

Midna, hissing under her breath, stabbed the map repeatedly and compared the route with the surroundings. "We are on the right track," she frowned and pointed to the winding lines. "I don't understand why it ended here." She sailed forward to check the path ahead and rocketed backwards when Skull Kid, wearing an eerie mask complemented with an odd assortment of clothes, materialized.

Link sniffed disdainfully at the kid's twig hat.

Twirling the gale boomerang, the human assessed the target before him. A gust of strong wind would reduce Skull Kid to a bag of kindling and thinking this, he took aim.

However, the ghost brought a reed flute to paper thin lips and blew. A long, shrill whistle danced in the air and several straw puppets, teeth chattering and limbs jerking, popped from nearby trees. A windstorm ravaged the clearing and Link clutched his cap, seething at the childish laughter ringing in his ears. Leaving Midna sputtering about the sacred grove, he tore after Skull Kid, the tip of the Master Sword trained on the scarecrow's back.

They danced through the clearing. Straw dummies met their demise, limbs smashed, heads flying and stalks carpeting tiles of stone half buried in earth. Panting, Link vaulted after the specter, rattling eerily and playing its flute. The rise and fall of the song, grated on the adolescent's spine, raising goosebumps along his flesh.

Skull Kid hopped from tree stump to tree stump and exasperatedly, Link tailed him akin to a monkey. A lucky jump to an adjoining tree stump brought both of them together and the human grinned, revealing elongated canines. The ghost lifted the flute to a wooden mouth and Link pressed the blade against the twig monster's neck.

"Play that one more time and I'll detach your head," he growled but the smile on Skull Kid's mask did not change. "...Where is the sacred grove?" The ghost stared at him inanely. "We are looking for the Temple of Time."

At this, Skull Kid became limp and sunk to the floor.

"Friend..." It rasped and Link jolted, pointing the blade at the talking puppet master. Midna tutted and rolled her eyes. "He said...He will play with me." Skull Kid buried its moon face in small palms and sobbed. "Kept his promise...But forgot about me." No tears escaped the ghost's glowing, red eyes. "Everyone forgets about me."

"Are you going to start crying?" the Twilli grinned and Link wiped his eyes, shaking his head frantically.

"I'll play with you," Link promised, "but right now, I have a job to finish. Once I'm done, I'll come back." The human fumbled in his backpack and extracted a little wooden toy he bought from Sera's Sundries, he pressed the toy in Skull Kid's hands. "Play with this for a while and wait for me."

The ghost turned the toy over and over, examining it with wide eyes. "No one gave me anything..." it whispered, leaves rustling on trees. "Except _him_." The Kid raised its eerie, permanently grinning face at Link and he returned the smile with a warm one of his own. "Thank you," the murmur rode on wind and the Skull Kid crumpled into a heap of sticks.

As Link stared in dismay, Midna yawned and pointed to a newly opened tunnel. Picking up the wooden toy, laying amongst a pile of straw, the adolescent pocketed it and followed Midna.

He sketched Skull Kid with the aid of his lantern and distant light of stars; Midna sat on his shoulder, quiet and contemplative.

Early morning mist cloaked the sacred grove in white. Under the sheets, Link suffered the humiliation of being dragged out of bed, half clothed, and tossed on the spongy ground. He groggily eyed the Twilli as she packed the camp and shivered in the chilly air. Rising to his feet, he rifled through the bag, contemplated on whether to eat a cheese or cucco sandwich for breakfast, and devoured both of them.

Sun skimmed through the branches, but the fog in the grove persisted in its presence. Stretching and examining the edge of his magical blade, Link walked to the pedestal and scanned the surroundings. He found it difficult to believe a castle once stood here. Kicking a chunk of rotting stone with his boot, he plunged the Master Sword in its marble pedestal and his mouth fell open.

A statue he _swore_ was there a few seconds ago, vanished in thin air. Hysterical, he pulled the sword and it smoothly slid out of the slot.

A broken stone arch, missing half a carved door, reformed before his disbelieving eyes. Link sought for guidance and Midna merely smiled enigmatically and nodded to the imposing gate. Holding the sword, he inched across dewy grass, boots dampening. Passing under the arch, he walked into a world of grey.

A world suspended in time.

Heavy stone gates sighed shut behind him. Half twisting, he stared at the door, briefly mesmerized by the detail. Bored in five seconds, he looked to the front, eyes pulling to a similar pedestal inside the ivory foyer. Breath arresting in his chest, he reverently approached the stub of cream marble and paused, irises locking on to a..._What the hell was that?!_ Forgetting about the waiting pedestal, he circled the cucco lookalike _thing_ perched in front of a chasm. Licking his lips and thinking of lunch, Link dove for the bird and triumphantly grasped it, his victorious smile promptly faded and melted into a scream when the white plumed creature gazed at him.

Seriously, his mind shrieked, what in the Great Seas was this _thing?_

Holding it high above his head and still screaming murder, Link flung the bird in the chasm. It let out a distinctly humanoid, high pitched gurgle and plummeted in the gloom below. Shaking, Link mechanically slinked back to the pedestal and struck it with the sword; not even the appearance of a holographic staircase, shining cobalt blue amongst the pale ivory of the castle, was enough to knock him from his frightened state.

Clutching a bottle of milk, he sniffed the contents and scowled, turning to the silent Twilli, he thrust the bottle into her face and whined, "This milk is three days old!" Midna raised a questioning eyebrow; she stole that milk yesterday, fresh from Fado's ranch. "I'm not gonna drink this." Tossing the bottle back, he rummaged in his sack and found an apple, giving it a good sniff; he buried his teeth in it. "What was that thing?" Link questioned after a considerable pause, he paraded through the palatial chamber, unappreciative of the gold lining the bases of marble pillars and running across doorways. "It had a..." he breathed loudly, "a human face. Did you see that?" he asked, pointing at his face. "That bird didn't have a beak; it looked like someone glued a half human head on a cucco's body!" shouting, he disappeared through the double doors, his words echoing on time preserved statues of slate and alabaster.

Alone, Midna puzzled at the obvious lack of symmetry. All other doorways and niches contained two stone statues, except this one. Floating closer, she examined the axe wielding figurine and swiped an index finger across is intricately carved surface. No dust.

Eye narrowing, she shot through the door when Link yelped and ground to a halt. The human was nowhere to be seen and the area branched into different corridors. His scream echoed through all four tunnels and she sighed, weakly floating to the floor and listening. No matter how much he matured, a soft smile obstinately stretched across her lips, he will still be the bumbling human she was fond of.

The smile dimmed.

No use getting attached to humans.

She found Link priming an arrow to the bird-human lookalike thing he threw into a chasm. "Please," the creature spoke and the human jumped, Midna laughed raucously and his head whipped towards her, eyes pleading for salvation. "I mean no harm. I am an Ooccoo, an ancient race, my people-"

"People?" Link repeated, his initial fear mitigating. "You look like a human and bird smashed wrong."

Studying the sputtering bird as it defended its origins, Midna interjected, "Ignore the human, he is dumb." When Link turned to her, she mushed her hand in his cheek, preventing speech. "So what does your kind do?" she asked.

The bird tilted his head at a ninety degree angle and hopped at the foot of a grand staircase.

"We are the masters of light magic," Ooccoo replied and the Twilli raised an impressed eyebrow. "The Hylian race is also our descendants...the royals that is," the bird further clarified and Link touched his earlobe uncertainly, thank goodness he was a descendant of Grandma and not this...Ooccoo...Or whatever. "I can use warping magic to get you in and out of the dungeon," milky eyes fixed on the imp, "and this magic does not drain me, unlike you, Twilight Princess." Ooccoo blinked at Midna and she bared a fang appreciatively. "If you need me, simply whistle and I'll get you out of here." Link gawped as the bird fluttered to the top of the stairs. "Well then, we part ways here."

Ooccoo vanished.

In spite of its golden grandeur, parts of the majestic castle crumbled. Eroded by forces unseen. Platforms, stitched to granite walls, curved upwards, and as Link slogged over expanses of limestone and jumped over blade traps whizzing across the ground, Midna compared the old Hyrule Castle to the one in Castle Town. Hmph, the ancients knew how to inspire awe. The musty odor of a sealed space permeated the palace, but no dust floated behind the walls. In front of her, Link mounted his spinner, spilling scars on the floor and leaping across a chasm. Two platforms, edges chipped like old teeth, spanned across a monumental gap. The spinner gored against the wall and landed on the other side. A squelch underneath the pointed end revealed the remains of a young gohma, the human grimaced and merrily continued his way, grinding soft shelled baby gohmas underneath his gear.

The spinner bumped on a raised threshold of gold and hurled its passenger to the floor. Face colliding with squares of black and white marble, Link rubbed his nose and got up. Pillars, their bases carved, supported cusped arches and the beauty seized his breath. Feeling timid, he broke into a run, trailing after Midna. Wire partitions of gold glimmered past, their finery illuminated by magical fire burning in silver braziers.

Scooting to the left, he briefly touched the cold metal before testing his sword on it. The resounding clang prompted the Twilli to whip around and glare at him demonically. Sheathing the sword and trying to not appear guilty, he followed Midna to the edge of a platform and gazed down at a gigantic scale fixed to the wall.

"Scales of Justice," Link whispered and his companion rolled her eyes.

"They are used to weigh criminals," she informed and floated over one dish. "Come down and let's see how the goddesses judge you," Midna taunted and Link remained on the platform, heart roaring in his ears. His previous, cowardly actions flashed across his mind one by one and he breathed loudly. "Don't be such a wimp, get down here!" the Twilli ordered and he jumped, screwing his eyes shut; the dish of bronze and silver, engraved by master artisans, depressed beneath his weight and he waited for it to come up, surely he did not weight _this_ much? To his utter dismay, the right dish loomed above his head and he turned to Midna for an explanation. "Bad doggy," she grinned, "if the ancient King was alive, you'd be sent to the dungeons."

Link quivered, although the dungeons were a preferable place compared to Arbiter's grounds, the cellars still stank of rot and stagnation. A torch fire could not bleed warmth in its stone cells.

Jumping back and forth between the gigantic balance and a platform bearing a variety of statues, Link tried to even the scale, but each time he jumped on the left, the right scale hovered at waist height. Growing increasingly frustrated, he dumped all the idols on one side, and stared in dismay when the left hovered in the sky and the right sunk to the ground.

At the bottom, he found a platform. Hopeful, Link wandered in a room with a beamos statue and the laser eye drew a scorched circle on the floor. Glaring hatefully at the rotating head, he stuck an arrow in its eye and scampered from the blast radius. Heat seared his behind and he tumbled into another rectangular room, partitioned with gold and silver wire fences. Statues sat quietly in niches and alcoves, grey light spilled from tall windows. Striding to the window, he peered out.

The landscape stretched a uniform grey.

Midna drew his attention to a corridor of steps. Thinking nothing of the gold rods placed on either side, he waltzed through. The moment he crossed, a lightning blue net of electricity sparked across the rods and chucked him backwards. Limbs tingling, Link curled on the floor in pain, scowling at the Twilli who simply examined the gate and nodded satisfactorily. "That was low." He massaged his jerking muscles. "You knew there was something fishy."

Spinning, Link opted to glare at a large, bell shaped statue thing suspended over a circle of dark stone. He left his sulking spot, the base of a Doric column and watched Midna demolishing the gates. She smiled mockingly and bowed. Huffing, Link climbed the staircase, alert for more electrical traps. He jumped over a rolling spike and used a small key to open a double door leading to a gloomy chamber. Right before he stepped in, to confront whatever horrors dwelled in dark places, Midna exclaimed:

"It's the statue." She zoomed to an ugly grey thing holding what looked like an axe. Link glanced at her, surprised at the malicious free smile blooming across her face. "There is an identical one in the vestibule," she explained, "I suppose you have to ferry this thing over there to open the sealed door." The male groaned inaudibly. "You know," she perched on his shoulder, "you could show a little more enthusiasm, this is the famous Temple of Time, the place where the Hero of Time travelled back and forth...seven years, I think." Midna regarded the environment in new light. "Zelda...would be so happy to be here," she murmured and involuntarily brought a palm to her chest. "The history preserved in this place would clear all her doubts."

Half listening, Link stepped inside. His vision adjusted to the dim interior giving him a glint of heavy armor. "The Hero of Time? I know about him, a bit," he stated and slid out of sight of whatever moaned in the room. "We have a coming of age ritual, when a boy hits twelve years, we wear the Hero's tunic." Link grimaced, remembering the swathes of scratchy, green fabric. "Come to think of it," he pulled the clothes he wore, "it looks a lot like this, but simpler, no chainmail." Hefty footsteps, metal, dragged on stone. Voice rising, he continued, "So the Hero of Time travelled through Time huh? That's awesome, if he couldn't do anything when he was a child, he could simply hop over this place, change time and complete it as an adult." A snarl punctuated the pause in the conversation. "Must be great," Link solemnly concluded and gripped his ball and chain, "to have such easy solutions to problems."

I was eight...A whisper echoed in the recesses of his mind...And it was not easy.

Grunting, Link twirled the spiked ball above his head and let it soar into the circular chamber. The weapon met its mark, crashing into a tall, ebony armored knight.

The figure punched through two columns and ground to a stop, holding the weapon. Inhaling sharply, Link let go when the Darknut pulled the chain. The silver snake flashed in obscure gloom and whiplashed on the helm. Swallowing the tiny victory, Link drew his sword, brought the quivering blade to his lips and focused.

"The armor," Midna nodded to the looming menace, "get rid of it first. The Darknuts are one of the most powerful monsters you will ever encounter; they are the souls of upright knights, bound to this realm by regre-"

"If you could stop talking, I might have a chance at defeating that thing!" Link exasperatedly pointed at the closing gap between him and the ebony knight. "Tell me happy things, like," he scrabbled over his words, "like what you eat for breakfast in the Twilight Realm."

Articulating a war cry, he jumped and shadows swamped him. His first slash swung wide, deflecting off a pewter pillar. A shield stopped Link's stabbing momentum and he pulled back, swinging his arm to get rid of the bone jarring impact. He sprang to the side when a monolith of metal swung down; the sword, tip flat like a spade, crushed stone tiles and Link inwardly thanked Nayru for his intact foot. Hopping, he wove through three strikes and smiled.

He could do this.

The Darknut raised its blade, twirled and smashed the side of Link's neck.

Bone crunched.

And Midna stared, saffron eye widening as her only hope crashed lifelessly to the floor, blood tracing a thin map from his eyes and mouth.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Skullduggery **

The cover of night did nothing to shroud the huge ship moored at Windfall Island. Numerous white sails billowed in a breeze and the size left Link feeling insignificant.

Hopping off the King of Red Lions, Link surveyed the tower, he spied the captain of the pirates. A girl, older than him by perhaps four years. Smirking, he followed the brick building.

The Windfall lighthouse splashed a circlet of light on the indigo seas.

Creeping around the bomb shop, Link climbed the tower. Confirming the captain's presence next to the shop owner, an unimpressive figure sporting tufts of hair on either side of his bald head, the boy climbed down and loped in the shadows, making a beeline for the brigantine crashing gently against untamed shores.

A huge prow jutted out of the sea, looming across the land. Twirling his grappling hook, Link hooked the edge and shimmied up, ignoring the rope burns on his already bruised palms. Rolling, he dropped into a pile of stinking fishnets and slunk out of sight behind a large wooden crate full of meat. To his unending horror, the clouds parted, revealing the casket filled with goat legs. Holding his nose and fighting nausea, he retreated deeper in the isle of boxes and peeked above them, a puff of blonde hair and pitch eyes shining in the dark.

A man, front teeth protruding beneath the top lip and strands of hair hidden behind a bandanna, causally leaned against the door leading to the deckhouse. Another burly figure strode around the ship helm and Link kept on eye on the daggers slung on their waists.

These men were not trained, but in battle they aimed for vital organs. Chest, eye, groin. The blonde boy smiled. The pirate next to the barred door suddenly fished a bright blue, glowing stone from his back pocket. Perking, Link crawled closer, eyes stabbing the King of Red Lions' mysterious visitor.

"Nico," the boat's voice rang clear, "let Link inside the deckhouse, I want to confirm something." The man holding the pirate's charm idly surveyed the deck and Link ducked out of sight.

"Where is he?" Nico's voice bled, no longer lifeless and cold.

"Somewhere," the King of Red Lions remarked inexplicably. "Move aside, preferably far away, you don't want to meet the child's blade, I assure you," he paused, "it is sharp and he is not particular about cutting things."

Nico inhaled, eyes shifting and brought the stone closer to his mouth.

"The last time I remember," he whispered, "the boy was rattling in a drum just before we fired him into the Forsaken Fortress." He paused, listening to the waves breaking. "No doubt he is an animal, but one without fan-" Nico's head jerked to the side as a goat hoof soared out of the air and nearly missed his forehead. "Fine," the deckhand agreed reluctantly. "But once Tetra finds out, you will pay dearly," he threatened and melted into the night his footfalls fading.

Head rising, Link vaulted over the boxes, dashed to the door and turned the doorknob. Locked. Fuming for a second and imagining Nico's rabbit toothed smile, Link strained against the door and when the heavy wood refused to budge, he kicked. A spinning stomp blasted the middle apart and he ducked through the hole, wiping splinters from his cap. The deckhouse opened to a wooden corridor lining the compartments and bunkers. A set of steps led belowdecks and he searched for the Captain's quarters. A quick look on the top most hallway revealed nothing but cannons, shells and armor. Descending into the belly of the brigantine, Link skipped past hallways lit with candle stubs, he shuffled past the kitchen, hurrying when the sound of a knife hitting a block reached his ears. Jumping over the banister, he landed on the third stairway and stiffened when the wood groaned beneath his weight.

No, the whole ship groaned and rocked. He must be deep inside the sea.

He prowled, seeking for Tetra's elusive room. A giant lock glinted on a door well hidden in a corner and Link grinned. He grappled with the lock, smashed it open and in the process, dulled his sword. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, he slipped inside the room and raised an eyebrow at the opulence.

Lace curtains of salmon pink, draped a four poster bed. Next to it, a walnut chest gleamed in lamp light. A thick carpet of feathers splayed over the floor and turning to the right, Link glimpsed a gold accented chest. Creeping past a half open wardrobe, he stopped and pushed the Captain's clothes, which consisted of Capri pants and sleeveless tunics, aside. Pinned to the back of the wardrobe, his hands brushed a portrait. The individual appeared to be a princess, clothed in a traditional pink dress and royal regalia. Squinting, Link moved closer to the poster and stilled when a thud echoed from above deck. Giving the painting one last, hard stare, he moved to the glinting treasure chest and inserted the key, lying conveniently on Tetra's dresser. Satin lined the inside and he snatched ancient scrolls, tucking them carefully into his bag.

According to the King of Red Lions, the pirates possessed an accurate history of this realm. He suspected Nico hid important information.

Squeezing out of the room, he retraced his path to the top where shadows converged. Sword at the ready, he crashed through the door remains, his blade whistled and rebounded as it met steel.

"Look what the fish dragged in." The pirate captain winked and deflected Link's sword. "My boys tell me you snuck inside _my_ boat, wrecked the door to the deckhouse," she indicated the gaping hole, "and snuck all the way to _my_ room."

"Probably," Nico added, wringing his hands and Link glimpsed steel in his eyes.

"_Probably_ snuck into my room," Tetra conceded. "Now, what were you doing in my ship and why didn't you contact me at the Forsaken Fortress?" the female demanded. "If I recall correctly, you _owe_ me travelling fees, now cough it up." She held out a calloused hand and Link dumped his wallet unhesitatingly. "That's it?" Tetra shook the cloth pouch doubtfully, "you expect me to accept this?" Her eyes flashed in rage. "You had a little coffer full of rupees, give me those and I'll over look you stealing our bomb bag which," her voice rose, "is stuffed full of premium goods."

Jet eyes regarded the tanned female towering before him and Link mentally noted all the pirates surrounding their captain like bees protecting their queen. Two flashed daggers and sat on crates, barring his only escape route. The burly one blocked the passage to the wheelhouse, hairy forearms crossed over his chest. Nico leaned against the deck house, grinning and tossing the pirate's charm in his palm.

"Whale got your tongue?" Tetra teased. "I think of myself as an honorable pirate," Link scoffed, "and I'd appreciate it if you held _your_ end of the bargain."

Link twirled his sword and buried it in its sheath. "That's all the money I have, honest." He held his palms up. "I spend most of my funds feeding fighting fish and seagulls and...I don't remember making any bargain." Tetra's eyes widened and when the rest of the crew shifted to accommodate her, Link darted past the astonished captain and scrambled for the taffrails. Several men scrabbled after him and a whistle nicked his ear. Staggering to a stop, Link touched his outer ear and stared at his fingers stained in red.

"Not so fast." Tetra hissed. "We took you to the Fortress, we got you inside!" Her irises sparked in indignation. "You promised us money, my ship got dented because of the cannons lining that god forsaken island and you want to slip your way out of this mess like an eel?" Her dagger, buried in the wood, quivered. "I don't think so." Two men flanked Link and she raised her hand, signaling them to a stop. "What happened to Aryll?"

"Still in the dungeon." Link replied, holding her gaze evenly.

A flicker of realization passed her face, so subtle, Link failed to read it. "You are not him," she muttered under her breath and he petrified. Dismissing her crew with a flick of her wrists, Tetra waited till Nico, useless idiot, stumbled into the ruined deckhouse and complained of fixing the doors. "You are not him," the captain repeated and studied the lean, blonde boy who did not shiver. "The Link I know will start bawling at the mention of Aryll sitting alone in the dungeon." Holding a cutlass to his throat, she demanded, "Who are you and what did you do with Link?"

The stolen parchments crumpled in his bag but thankfully, Tetra was too preoccupied with him to care of suspicious sounds. "Girls shouldn't play with swords," he stated and pushed the blade away from his throat. "And having your sister kidnapped changes people." He shrugged. "I really have no money, I suppose we'll see each other again and I'll pay my due. For now," Link back flipped and stood perilously on the taffrail, "I'm leaving to check up on my Grandmother, see you later, Tetra." Doing a lazy, two fingered salute, he dove off the edge.

Tetra dropped her cutlass, the nerve of that boy! Running to the edge, she registered a faint plop in the sea and eyed her telescope just in time to see a sodden figure climb on board a vividly red boat. Cursing under her breath, she retrieved her dagger, sheathed her cutlass and strode to the helm.

Link...the sniveling boy waving tearfully at his Grandmother and this person...

Where they the same?

Unseen by her, Nico slithered from the shadows and watched the red boat disappear to the south.

* * *

Two weeks later, the King of Red Lions, navigating through a heavy downpour, nosed its way to Outset Island. A curtain of water obscured his vision and the figurehead swung this way and that, unable to determine the direction of the pier. In the grip of a hectic fever, Link tossed in the deckhouse, unable to man the extra sail he swiped form the pirates. The cloth, too big for the boat's small mast, hung awkwardly. Rain splashed the deck, a constant drum.

Heading to the east, the King of Red Lions struggled valiantly against a whirlpool and his spirits sunk. Was Jabun really hiding here? If so, why the raging storms? The miniscule watercraft steadily drifted off course and into the eye of the whirlpool. Fighting tooth and nail, the boat eventually eased its pressure, hoping the vortex's outer fringes will deposit him somewhere safe. To his dismay, the gurgling water pulled him in like a magnet and through the sheet of silver and pewter; he glimpsed a giant sheet of stone, blocking the entrance to a natural cave.

A large crest etched the stone.

Nayru's symbol of three circles, positioned in a triangle, and nestled by crescents.

Coincidence?

"No." Link appeared at the bow, soaked from head to toe; the King of Red Lions whipped his head to the side and collided against the boy's pink cheek. "Jabun must be safe inside there," steam rose from his mouth, "I'm readying the cannon; you make sure to stay in sight of the giant door so I can break it down," Link slurred and tottered towards the stern.

Struggling against the tempest, growling clouds and the occasional, blinding flash of thunder, the boat ordered, "Get back to bed! You cannot operate a cannon in your state!" The boy slipped on the rain slicked deck and lay at the foot of an iron chest. "Link, really, we can do this _after_ your fever has gone down. What did I say about taking care of yourself? Health is not about how much muscle you put on your skinny frame." Instead of listening, the child obstinately wheeled the cannon into view.

"How are you gonna get out of his whirlpool?" Link asked and lit the fuse, the first cannonball rocketed into the water, sending a tidal wave slapping across Outset Island's shore. "Despite all your other skills, you can't get out of this storm. Lord Jabun must be causing it, possibly to deter whoever is on his tail and so, it is our duty to smash through and comfort him with our presence." Another cannonball soared out of the smoking barrel and met its mark; kissing the stone slab with a thunderous crack. "I'm...I'm good." Link sneezed, a glob of mucus joined the water running the deck and his face twisted to disgust. "As soon as we -a-choo!" A barrage of sneezes punctuated his sentences while the King of Red Lions drifted aimlessly closer and closed his eyes each time the stone split with an ear shattering crash. "-mother and stay till my fever is gone. Deal?"

The boat sighed, "Whatever you say, boy."

Roaring water and wind sucked them towards the door, threatening to smash boy and boat into scarlet matchsticks and blood flecked bone. Craters and webbed cracks marred the slab of stone and Link screwed the spyglass to his eye, breathing a sigh of relief when the bottom part of the sheet crumbled into the restless sea. Leaving the cannon, he wrestled with the horizontal boom and held the sail, angling it so the tempest pushed them inside the cave. A predatory howl of wind torpedoed them through the broken arch of rock and once inside the stalactite riddled hollow, the storm's wails died down.

A dim lantern swayed in the middle of the grotto, illuminating wet walls. Fixated on the bobbing lantern, Link gripped the mast and his eyes travelled to a pair of humungous, orange rimmed eyes. He sensed a gigantic shape resting in the cavern and the faint light, which he belatedly realized was part of Jabun's head, vibrated.

"Jabun, old friend," the King of Red Lion's greeted and his noble tone bounced against barnacle encrusted rocks. "You do not know how happy I am to hear of your escape from Greatfish Isle."

"..." Firelight eyes studied the feverish child and Jabun's thick lips broke into a defeated smile. "You are Link, the brave, the hero." At this, the boy puffed his chest and stood tall, but the soggy pajama stuck to his lanky frame, ruined the image. "Yes, the loss of Greatfish Isle, my people, my home was a great tragedy. I escaped whilst they destroyed my island and killed its inhabitants." A mournful whale's bellow escaped Jabun's open mouth and he shook his head. The lantern detached from the stem glued to his head and clattered on deck. Reverently, Link picked the orb, pallid features glowing as he investigated Nayru's pearl. "With all three pearls in your possession, you may now raise the Tower of the Gods," Jabun related without enthusiasm and the cave walls rumbled as his voice lowered in pitch.

Gripping the pearl tightly, Link carefully wrapped it in a wad of linen and stored it in his sack, next to the other goddess pearls. A chill wracked his body and he listened as the King of Red Lions and Jabun delved into a conversation held by ancient tongue.

The boat left the grotto, emerging in a calmer storm. A drizzle sprinkled Link's already wet hair and tiredly, he rowed to the pier. Clambering out, he shivered, patted the figurehead on its cottony beard and shielded his eyes from the gentle patter of rain. Evening swallowed the sun and he eyed the identical houses, thatched roofs sagging under the weight of a deluge.

Wrapping arms around himself, Link wove through tall grass and climbed uphill, he kept away from the stone footpath and set his sights on a wooden house situated on top of a hilly outcrop. Link's house, he thought and the front porch creaked under his weight. Dragging unresponsive feet towards a curved door and a polished doorknob, he hesitated, eyed the speck of a red boat drifting alone on the sea, and inhaled deeply.

The door opened.

Inside, an old woman sat in a rocking chair, near the half dying fire place. Cold and warmth clashed in the home. Rumpled sheets and clean carpets indicated a well-kept place devoid of occupants. Pictures decorated the mantelpiece and Link forced himself to close the door and tend to the woman mumbling anxiously in the wicker chair.

"Grandmother," he breathed and stroked her cold hands with his burning ones. "I'm home." Instead of responding, she sunk lower in the blankets cocooning her. "Grand-mother?" Link called and frowned. "Granny?" No, that did not sound right. "Gramma?" The embers in the hearth glowed briefly. "Grandma?" He tried again and the old woman, wrinkles lining waxy skin, briefly stirred and rested unfocused irises on him.

"Ohhh...Aryll, Link," she moaned and he clasped her fragile hands tighter, trying to transfer warmth, "why did you leave me so?" Grandma continued and convulsed. "First your parents and now you, come back my children...Come back." She rocked a little and her toes bumped against Link's wet shin. Shuddering, she collapsed into a sleep disturbed by fits and moans, and the boy stepped back, breathing heavily.

For once, Link did not know what to do. Clearly Grandma was in no state to talk or even look after herself. He lifted a lid hanging over the hearth and the delicious aroma of broth hit his nose. Suddenly hungry, he clattered to the kitchen, ladled soup in his bowl and ate, his mind whirring.

Someone looked after this old woman...maybe the islanders? Grandmother was clearly in shock and he concernedly eyed her as her limbs jerked and she moaned, growing paler by every second. Her erratic jerking reminded him of his sleep terrors. Wiping his lips with a napkin, Link strapped his weapons and headed for the door. "Don't go..." Grandma muttered from her chair. "Don't leave your Grandma behind..." she mumbled, fast asleep.

"I promise to return," Link replied, fingers tight on the door knob, the drizzle eased into an occasional, lazy drop plopping from an overcast sky. Boots squelching in mud and grass, he stepped on the stone path and examined the houses, stiffening when a tall, willowy female, balancing a water jug on her head, came out and paused. Jaw set, he marched to the woman and her eyebrows widened in surprise.

"Gods..." Sue-belle exhaled and brought her palm to her mouth. "Link...Oh my goodness you are back!" she exclaimed and held the pot on her head. "Your Grandma, oh dear, she has taken sick ever since you went after Aryll." Link nodded and thanked her quietly. "You look sick yourself," Sue-belle pressed her hand against his forehead and gasped, "you have a fever, go rest, I'll come by tomorrow and check up on both of you."

The blonde boy shook his head. "Grandma got worse," he explained. "I need to get some medicine to help her..." he faltered when Sue-belle regarded him oddly. "I know I'm not supposed to be running around, I found Aryll but I couldn't rescue her...I'm still working on that." Link gulped in a lungful of air, talking required effort. The shops must all be closed in the storm; he mused and tiredly skimmed the island. "How can I get Grandma back to normal?" he asked, "I can't rest until she's better."

The corners of the woman's eyes crinkled into a soft smile. "You love your grandma very much don't you?" Link refused to reply, he did not know what to think. "...Well, we haven't had medicine in the shops for ages, you know how the trade boats don't come so south..." Link impatiently hopped on his frosted toes, mentally urging her to hurry up with whatever she had to say. "The Fairy Forest," Sue-belle said and pointed to a dense growth of trees on top of the hill rooted on the island. "Long ago, it used to be teeming with fairies, now you only see a few if you are lucky. Catch one of them and give it to Grandma, she will recover quickly."

Nodding and throwing her a harried smile, Link hurried away to the Fairy Forest.

Sue-belle watched him go and a raindrop plopped on her cheek. She considered the lonely figure of Link, fighting his way through tall grass and grappling up the mountain.

Since when did he become so...so different?

* * *

**A/N:** Link finally meets the Grandma of everyone's dreams. Is there anyone who hates her? No? Good. I never really met any of my grandparents, my paternal grandfather died six months after I first saw him. I don't miss him and I think I cried, I'm not sure.

Respect to all Grandmas and Grandpas out there, the non-toxic ones.

At Novirp13: It's more like, this ain't my body so why should I care? In this fic, WW Link is a bit of a glutton, he likes food. Food glorious food! Whereas TP Link's body is in perfect shape due to his herding work and sword practices.

Much thanks to Sayla Ragnarok for liking the story. Hope it lives up to your expectations

Once again, please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Grandma cookies to everyone who needs them.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Beauty in self-destruction**

Ethereal mist swamped the tall eucalyptus trees surrounding Link, the menthol odor clogged his lungs and he waded through mud, searching for elusive fairies in the undergrowth. If he recalled correctly, fairies stayed in springs.

At least the ones in Hyrule did.

Lost in the tangle of shadows and tree trunks, he sought light from above and sunk, knee deep, in muddy water collecting around a giant cater forming at the base of a boulder. Placing a ring of wet bombs around the rock, he waited for them to detonate and a cacophony of bomb blasts startled all the monsters and wildlife living in the forest. Chunks of stone hit Link on his head and rolled to a stop at his mud caked boot. A geyser gushed out of the stoppered hole, rinsing some of the dirt clinging to his pants. Curiously, the hole persisted, gurgling and bubbling.

Wading to the center, Link dropped through the tunnel; he floated to the floor of a grotto slathered in pink and his eye twitched when it settled on the quicksilver form of a gigantic fairy.

Oh yeah, he forgot the fairy won't fit into his bottle.

Grabbing the comforting hilt of his sword, he studied the great fairy, wondering which part of its body he should chop off and blend. The legs are too big, and it had four hands. Head?

While he calculated, the fairy thrust a big wallet in his hands and the pouch reminded him briefly of Tetra. Crazy woman. The fairy indicated the springs beneath her feet and Link's features slackened; he meekly sheathed his sword, muttered gratitude to the four armed monstrosity and whipped his bottle out. The fairies, silver winged, white clothed creatures fluttering aimlessly above a pool of water; swirled around him, their angelic chatter filling his head. At once, Link's nose stopped running, the awful hammering in his head receded and energy flooded his numb limbs.

Swiping the bottle, he collected a fairy and brought the ampule closer to his face. The miniscule creature sported a headful of golden, coiffed curls and a cherubic face. A sad smile tinted its pink lips and before guilt forced him to release the fairy; he jammed the bottle in his pocket and whooshed out of the spring.

Clouds blanketed the stars. Back inside his home, Link gently squeezed his grandma's bony hand and uncorked the bottle. The fairy orbited around Grandma, shriveled and died. Link scrubbed the silver stain off the carpet and as he turned to throw the ash, a pair of thin arms encircled his waist.

"Link my boy?" a fragile voice enquired and he turned, blinking when Grandma planted a kiss on his cheek. "It is you!" She stroked his face and whispered, a solitary tear pooling at the edge of her wrinkled eye and coursing down her cheek. "Let me see, oh you have lost so much weight." Grandma voiced and enveloped him in a hug.

Link let go of the dust pan and brush and slowly, very slowly, melted into her embrace. He inhaled deeply. His grandmother smelled of pressed flowers and the aroma of comforting soup. Clutching her tunic, he squeezed harder, sniffing in an effort to stop the involuntary waterfall of tears cascading down his face. It did not stop. Tear after tear sailed down his cheeks, dampening his tunic and Grandma's chest.

"Now, now, everything is alright, good, let it out, it's okay to cry," she soothed and stroked his salt streaked hair, a core of steel bracing her against Link's weight. He sobbed openly and held on tighter, feeling Grandma's bony frame collapse under his vise grip, despite this, Link did not want to let go...

If he let go...

Determined sages, robes of light. A blue, blue sky. Blue like Father's eyes. He stopped hiccupping and stared into Grandma's pitch irises.

Oh.

Reality punched the breath out of him.

He was an orphan, a privileged orphan. No one bothered to tell him what happened to his parents. At the age of ten, he received a gold medal for his father who heroically died in service.

Roughly three months later, he held his mother's death certificate in cut laced hands.

Grandma's eyes shone with the same depth of emotion as Aryll's. Letting go of her, he grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped his nose and eyes and she touched her warm little fingers against his cheek. "I'm home." He sniffed and managed a watery smile. Grandma hugged him again and he wound his arms around her neck and rested his head against her shoulder. "I've been to Dragon Roost and Forest Haven," he softly reported, "and I almost lost a leg." Suddenly, the situations inside the caves and forests seemed rather hilarious. "And I have a magical talking boat." Grandma nodded at the statement and patted his head, smiling. "No really," Link insisted, "He's called the King of Red Lions..." _Daphnes_, his mind corrected. "And he talks, I'll introduce him to you some time." Detaching from her tiny frame, he sank into a chair, cheek propped in a fist. "I'm sorry for not bringing Aryll." Link bit his lips, wondering if he should confide in her. "There were some...complications," he weakly stated.

Bustling in the kitchen, Grandma lit the hearth and tangerine glows chased the shadows and cold away. "The important thing is that you are safe my child." She smiled and the smell of meat broth and vegetables permeated the kitchen, fogging the windows. "Ever since you left, I...I did not know what to do." Grandma confessed and wrung her hands, crumpling her apron. "Sue-belle looked after me, gods bless her, and I was so distraught when you did not send letters or visit."

Link coughed and guilt flushed his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "busy trying to figure things out." Grandma laughed.

Outside, the curtains glowed amber and orange against an ebony night. The house at the hilltop chugged aromatic stream through its chimney and soft laughter gusted from beneath closed doors.

The clock struck midnight, candles burned low and Link unbuckled his tunic belt where it strained against his overfed belly. Grandmother puttered about, rinsing his bowl and talking softly, both to herself and to him. Laying his head on folded arms, he followed her progress, noting each and every delicate movement. She often wiped her hands on an apron and candle light settled in the creases lining her cheeks. Dirty grey hair, shining silver, piled high atop her head and he wanted to stick a hairpin in the rounded bun. She turned and motioned to the bedrooms connected by a short corridor.

"Time to sleep dear, its way past your bedtime." Link choked; there were nights where he slept an hour right before dawn. Nonetheless, he complied and wobbled after Grandmother, felling lazy, overfed.

And young.

Smoothing rumpled sheets over a thick mattress, he clambered the wooden ladder to the top bunk bed and watched Grandma making herself comfortable opposite him in a single, wide bed. Salty breezes wafted from the windows and he sat, mind whirling and an oil lamp burning above his head.

Unknown to him, Grandma regarded the child curiously, instead of having a vacant expression on his face, Link brooded, eyebrows drawn. She suspected his changed in behavior was tied to Aryll's disappearance however, her grandchild's demeanor felt off. _Old_. Wringing her hands nervously, she observed the boy stare blankly at the opposite wall, pitch irises guarded. Guarded against what? Things too terrible to recount? Letting out a heavy exhale, she beckoned Link to join her and he regarded her suspiciously.

"Come sleep with me my boy." She patted the seashell printed sheets swamping her bed. Instead of leaping off the top bunk and crash landing, he stayed there, blinking owlishly. "Is there something wrong? I know you are twelve," Grandma teased, "but to me you will always be a child." His mouth parted and twitched irises suddenly thunderous. Jaw tight, Link reluctantly climbed down but instead of snuggling in her lap, he sat on Aryll's bed and smoothed the covers.

Not out of affection, Grandmother noted, but out of the need to keeps his hands and attention occupied.

"I'm tired..." he said after a long, awkward pause. "I want to sleep." He swept his fringe out of his eyes and yawned and Grandma noted healing scars pressed on his fingers.

She smiled cordially. "Tell me your favorite story," she urged and the boy shot her an empty glance. "The one with the mermaid and the fisherman?" Grandma prompted and pointed a bony finger to a small bookshelf against the pastel walls. A battered, blue book leaned against a snow globe. "You lulled Aryll to sleep with stories of giant krakens and pirates, of caves of gold and princess and fishermen." Again, Link stared vacuously at the bookshelf; the intensity of his gaze could set paper on fire. "Is there something wrong?"

"You are well aware of what is wrong." Link clenched his hands, short from snapping and bolting out of the comfortable house. "I don't think I need to clarify that I'm _not_ your grandson," he rapped sharply, "I may fool others, but you are his closest living relative...some people cannot be deceived."

The boy waited for the old woman to break down sobbing for the return of her grandson however, she simply gazed at him and smiled, radiating warmth from the wrinkles defining her cheekbones.

"My name is Link," he admitted, "and I'm way older than twelve. Nineteen to be exact." Link grabbed the handcrafted doll lying on Aryll's pillow and absentmindedly played with it. "I'm not from this world...Most probably, your grandson and I changed places and he is in a situation I wouldn't want to wish on anyone." He thought of the nefarious Twilli demon and her manipulative shenanigans.

What was her name again?

Grandma rose from the bed, hobbled and eased her delicate frame next to him; she smoothed his fringe into a respectable puff of hair. "I wonder, is your hair the color of sand?" she asked and Link nodded, eyes wide in surprise. "You have blue eyes?" Another nod. "Hmm...You wear funny clothes?"

"Excuse me?"

The elder chuckled. "Link often told me that he saw a different man when he looked in the mirror. Sometimes I would find him glued to the full body looking glass over there," she drew his attention to a long mirror facing the wall, "and other times, he'd refuse to touch the silver ware. Aryll and I never took any note, but perhaps...You are the person he sees in the mirror?" Thoughts buzzing, the boy impatiently eyed the door with barely restrained curiosity. Grandma's face fell, after nearly six months at sea, she finally glimpses a hair of her precious grandson and he is itching to blaze off without as much as a stay over. "My boy," she called as he hastily tucked his feet into boots, "won't you at least stay the night? I understand what you have to do is important..." she trailed off, unable to convey her feelings.

How could she explain to the stranger that Link and Aryll were more important than the air she breathed? How does one convey such love without appearing like a clingy old woman?

"...No, I should not keep you here," she dabbed furiously at her eyes, angry at the tears. "You have a lot of work to do and I musn't delay you. Just wait for a moment, I will pack soup and bread for you, you have lost weight." Babbling, she started towards the darkened corridor. Link's hand shot out, clamping on a fist full of her orange dress.

"I'm staying," he hastily reassured. "Grandma, I'll stay for a few days." He smiled and let go. "I know I'm not a replacement for your grandson and nor do I aim to be but..."

Grandmother hugged him tightly, pressing wrinkled lips on the top of his head. "Don't be silly dear," she chided and held his head close to her chest. "You are dear to me. In this world, I'm your family."

Sleep only arrived an hour before dawn. Lying on Aryll's bed, with the doll's button eyes keeping a watch on him, Link observed the rise and fall of his chest. Grandmother's soft snores echoed in the house and the noise kept him awake. The world blurred at the edges and he sank into unconsciousness, dreading a nightmare or worse, a night terror. Explaining why he woke up with a fork sticking out of his palm will take a lot of work.

But as he waited for the inevitable, shapeless horror to confront him, he turned and watched Grandma sleeping blissfully. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Link quietly climbed down, dragging a handmade quilt with him.

He stood at the edge of the double bed, wrestling with his emotions. _He was an adult for Hylia's sake!_

Shrugging, he lifted the edge of the comforter and slid inside, careful not to disturb his grandmother. And as he settled, a grin crept across his face when Grandma pulled him closer. He snuggled, grateful for the warmth.

Grateful for a family.

* * *

The King of Red Lions twisted as the thud of boots hit the deck. "Are you..." he began, unable to believe his painted eyes.

"Please be quiet," Link snarled and scrubbed his eyes on a lace handkerchief, he paused in his silent crying and held the square of cloth up. "Grandma's," he clarified and waved it in the air. Standing safely on the pier and far from ocean spray, the Outset Island residents waved to him and shouted encouragements. Fiddling with sail, he angled it to catch magically changed currents and beamed at them with polite cheerfulness.

For the past week, Link soaked in the sun, changing his pathologically pale pallor into a light bronze. He dragged Grandma out of the kitchen and her knitting every morning and walked with her on the beach. When Orca, his swords teacher, barked at him to attend lessons, Link did so with great enthusiasm. The old man, silver white hair hanging in lanky strands around his majestic, triangular beard, praised him warmly and Link grinned, bowing his thanks while the man regarded him curiously.

The boat pulled from the shore and the island receded, becoming one with the horizon. Keeping his eyes on the form of his hunched grandmother, Link waved till his arms ached and he plopped at the base of the mast, satisfied. "I didn't dream last night..." he confided and the figure head nodded. "Do you think the nightmares will eventually stop?" He did not wait for a reply and scrabbled to the chest bearing his sea charts, stabbing his finger on the Triangle Islands. "We will start with the Southern Triangle first, then sail to the east and finally to the north." Link studied the map some more, squinting at the obscure names scrawled underneath the other landmasses.

Tottering to his feet, he grabbed a swab and cleaned the deck. Pelted with rain and exposed to the elements, the King of Red Lions presented a withered sight. Kneeling on all fours, Link dipped the rag and cleaned, wiping salt and tossing small crabs from the cracks in the planks.

Two days later, they arrived on the southern Triangle Island. Grabbing the oar, Link circled it, unimpressed by the diminutive disc of land bearing a tall statue. He hopped out of the boat and landed on the pier less island, his body half swallowed by untamed vegetation. The statue, cracked sandstone, stood on an elevated platform and he reached it after rubbing his fingers raw on rock faces. Dusting his new tights, he examined the statue critically. A cut in his leg throbbed and he spared a moment cursing those blasted seahats roaming the waters. Still, Link's lips eased into a smile, they provided excellent target and sword practice.

Sniffing disdainfully at the neglected statue, he reached into his bag for Nayru's pearl. Clusters of white jasmine poked in the tangle of grass and he stood on his tiptoes, respectfully placing the pearl in the idol's waiting hands.

Stepping back, he waited for a dramatic event to occur and dissatisfied, slunk back to the boat. According to the books, the statues were supposed to glow and diffuse a magical beam to each other.

Magic, Link snorted and caught himself when the slim WindWaker winked from his tin cup. The King of Red Lions lurched into the water, already skimming across the waves as a favorable wind, propelled it. Holding the ivory baton, the boy put it inside his sack, resolving to grudgingly accept its use.

Another two days of nonstop sailing lead him to east Triangle Island. Like before, Link jogged to the statue, leaving torn petals in his wake, and lowered Farore's pearl into cupped, static hands. The stone idol fared no better than its sister counterpart and once again, Link sighed.

Did he do something wrong?

He wondered and scratched his chin; the texts did not mention any particular order into placing the pearls. Supposedly, when all three statues held the pearls, their latent magic will unearth the Tower of Gods from the deep.

If such a superstructure existed, why did not anyone find out about it? Its existence has been written in the history and more surprisingly, the tourist brochures. Scratching his head absentmindedly, Link returned to the boat and prepared for the final, two day journey to the Northern Triangle Island.

Goddesses forbid nothing happens when the final pearl is in place. If so, he'll go after Ganondorf, Triforce or not.

Waking up when the sun's salmon pink rays slanted through the porthole and fell on his eyes, Link rolled out of bed and paused when the roar of wind and water did not reach his ears. Frowning, he combed his hair and walked on deck to find the King of Red Lions chatting with a Fishmen.

The creature's colorful, flat face turned towards the human and it exclaimed, "Hoy there, fry!" Link smiled in response and disappeared into the deckhouse when the fish called, "Get your moldy sea charts out kid and let me tell you about the Tower of Gods and this final island, Boaty here has been nagging about it to my aide and they fetched me all the way from near the Forsaken Fortress." The scaled creature and boat shared another round of conversation. "I'll tell you some unofficial secrets..." The Fishmen waited for Link to reappear, "hey small fry, what's taking so long, putting on your diaper?"

Inside the deckhouse, Link froze when the Fishmen's jibes reached his ears. Diaper? _Diaper?_ Jet eyes pulled to a dusty harpoon standing upright in a corner slung with unused fishnets and other nautical equipment. Lips pressed into a thin, displeased line, he wiped the harpoon clean, a thrill running through his body when his fingers caressed the silver spearhead's jutting barb. Hefting the slim rod, he walked out, climbed on the boat's rails and the King of Red Lions paled when dying sunlight winked on the harpoon.

Grinning diabolically, Link the plunged weapon inside the water and the blade missed the Fishmen by mere inches.

"What the hell fry?!" the fish exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up. "Are you crazy? I don't taste good!" The creature spluttered and splashed in the waves.

Link reeled the harpoon and aimed again, a vindictive gleam in his eyes.

The King of Red Lions, desperately trying to control the laughter bubbling on his lips, rotated to watch the two of them heckle back and forth. Another whoosh and plunge and Link's disappointed _Tsk_, told him the child failed to impale the Fishmen. "Put the harpoon away boy," the boat said with a smile while the fish glared. "We need expert cartographers, open your map, they will sketch the location of the Tower of Gods."

Reluctantly, Link retracted the gleaming spear and rested the tip off the edge, water droplets plopped in the ocean. Eyeing the grinning human warily, the Fishmen jumped on deck, an ink brush in its mouth. Squatting in the narrow space, it surveyed the map unhappily and inked the supposed position of the Tower.

"Listen up fry, The Tower of Gods is situated underwater," the fish informed and Link rolled his eyes. _Tell me something I don't know._ Sharing a glance with the King of Red Lions, the creature continued, "It is situated smack dab in the middle of the ocean and apart from being a dungeon to test the Triforce bearer of Courage, it also..." here it hesitated, glimmering fish eyes cast on the map. "It is a portal to the continent sunk in the sea." Pausing in his examination of the harpoon, Link looked at the fish and then his boat. "Yes, there is an entire continent lying at the bottom of the Great Sea and as for its significance," the fish jerked a grey fin backwards, "Boaty will tell you. I'm off." Imparting one final glower at the wicked harpoon, it flew overboard and into the sea.

Only a telltale ripple indicated the Fishman's presence.

Lingering for a second longer, the boat sailed, its prow creating a dark shadow over the sea's waves. Back to the mast, Link polished off a cold supper and read, turning pages feverishly. A continent at the bottom of the sea? Why didn't Daphnes tell him? And of what significance is the Tower of Gods? History books spoke of the ivory tower's significance, once a hero completed its trials; they are required to ring the giant bell set into its pinnacle. A gong of victory. Architecture texts boasted of its structure, of the energy lines running on its surface. According to the author, the material used to construct the tower is found nowhere across the Great Sea. Growing frustrated, Link held his lantern closer to the brown folios, and narrowed his eyes in the dark. A speckled band of stars emerged across the sky and he thrust another book closer to his face. The pages smelt of peppermint oil and he sneezed, careful not to get any icky fluids on the tome. Here he discovered that the Tower indeed connected to a continent, sunk and forgotten at the bottom of the ocean.

Working out the stiffness in his neck, Link grabbed his telescope, viewing the inky black of the sea through a circlet of glass. No threats coursed alongside him and he missed the telltale, metallic horn curves of rogue warships terrorizing the seas. In the distance, a watchtower's fires burned and he lowered the spyglass. Resuming his information hunt, he pressed his nose closer to the book and read.

The forgotten continent is said to be preserved in time. His breath quickened and he read faster, eyes zeroing on specific keywords. Despite rigorous research and several expeditions in the deep sea, academics have yet to spot this elusive landmass and understand its significance. The legend books state this continent as the birthplace of the Hero of Time.

"_Hyrule?_" Link whispered disbelievingly. Sensing his distress, the King of the Red Lions slowed and cocked his head backwards. "The continent under the sea...Is it Hyrule?"

Refusing to reply, the watercraft simply shrugged. "You will find out all in good time, but right now, I believe you have a pearl to deliver."

* * *

The Tower of Gods rose fully at the dawn. Bathed by the majestic glows of first light, its white stone body creating an empyreal outline against the ocean. Standing in the boat and bobbing with the waves, Link quietly marveled at the eye blinding tower. Water ran down its sides, its arches and rained back into the sea, creating a ripple of blue and white. Heart drumming frantically, he towed the boat inside, reverently drawing his fingers across the still wet surface and feeling lightheaded from lack of sleep and the breathtaking scene he currently witnessed.

At long last, the tumbling stopped.

Limbs quivering, he sailed inside the tower, where the seas stretched. Grooved columns, bases inlaid with gold and in perfect condition, rose alongside, guiding him to the interior. Unconsciously holding his breath, Link craned his neck, absorbing each and every detail and imprinting it to his mind. In the center, a gold leaved idol gushed water from its open mouth and peeling away from it, Link paddled to a platform bearing a bronze door with a landing pad. Bumping the boat to a gentle stop, the hero rested, his breath echoing in the cavernous room. He rubbed his neck irritably and stretched and the King of Red Lions shot him an inquiring look.

"My neck feels really stiff," Link replied and glanced at the still surface of the sea. "It feels bruised and broken." He frowned. "I don't recall ever injuring my...neck." The mirror-esque shine of the waters reflected arched domes and he tossed a discarded seashell from the deck.

His reflection broke into clashing ripples and reformed.

A pair of icy-blue eyes stared back at him.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Cutting teeth. Licking knives**

The imp warped to the human and pressed her palm against his face.

No.

No...no.

Heat rapidly drained from his cheek, teardrops of blood met his lips.

Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she whistled. If the bird did not appear now, she will have Ooccoo stew for dinner.

Ivory bloomed in the murky room. The Darknut halted its march. Ooccoo took one look at Link and warped them out of the dungeon.

The body tumbled on wet grass and a light drizzle diffused mist in the sacred grove. Staring at the imperceptible rise and fall of his chest, the Twilli plotted, she did not sink into the whirlpool rooting in her stomach and rising to engulf her chest. Swallowing rapidly, she tore open a portal and thought.

_Rusl._

* * *

Pain wracked the Uli's abdomen and she laid a hand across it, smiling despite the aches. The baby must be healthy. Weak sunlight poured through the window and she sewed the rips and tears in her husband's clothes. Wood ash, mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, permeated the living room and she hummed contentedly, resting on a goat skin couch. A thud outside her door prompted her to pause in her sewing and she rose to her feet, groaning slightly. With one hand resting on the doorknob, Uli recalled her husband's cautions:

Monsters prowled the land and they sought harm to everyone.

Slender fingers slipped off the bronze knob and she worried her lower lip. The thud outside her house sounded distinctly like a body meeting earth and she heard plenty of those when Colin and Talo played. Pushing the door open, he gasped in horror when the blood streaked face of Link stared at her with closed eyes. Gasping, she ran to the front porch, knelt over his body and touched him.

Growing cold...

The villagers milled in the center, near the pumpkin patch and the tiny figures of Mayor Bo and Jaggle appraised the vegetables and land. Knees trembling, Uli pulled herself across the stretch of grass bordering the front of her home and moved to the stream. Hopefully, someone will see her and come to investigate. Sure enough, Bo's beady eyes screwed in on the heavily pregnant figure and he frowned.

"Uli's not supposed be walking like that," he remarked to Jaggle who paused in his pumpkin stroking to look. "Something's wrong, let me go check." Grabbing a grazing horse, he vaulted on the protesting animal and cantered along the stream. By the time he reached Uli, she panted, her cheeks flushed and fine hair plastered to the back of her neck.

The woman grabbed the reins, fighting pain and gasped, "Link…is lying unconscious in front of my house." Mayor Bo frowned. _What?_ "He is on the ground. In front of my house. With a broken neck," she breathed and clutched the reigns tighter, what was with men and freezing up during crucial times? "Broken neck, Mayor Bo!" The woman snapped. "The lad is going to _die_ if he is not taken to the clinic quickly."

Tears sprung to her eyes and mechanically, Bo galloped away from her and towards the house. Sure enough, Link lay there, in a puddle of his congealed blood. Gawking at the scene for another second, Bo pressed his lips to a thin line and slid off the horse, picking up the boy's inert body, he barged into Rusl's cozy living room and laid Link across the couch. Uli waddled in, clutching the hem of her dress in pink fingers.

"A doctor," she rasped and sank beside the unconscious youth. "We need a doctor. Someone has to inform Rusl."

Bo paced the living room, the draught from outside chilled the warm environment. "Yes, but how did he end up in front of your porch?" the man asked. "I mean, Rusl told me the lad must be at the Sacred Grove which is miles from here so-"

"Could you do something productive?" Uli whispered, a cutting edge in her voice as Hanch arrived at the door with a doctor. The occupants inside the room stared at each other, at Hanch and ushered the medical man in. "We can ask difficult questions later, just save him!" she addressed the men and they hurriedly sprang into action.

Jaggle and Bo retreated to the other side of the sofa, peering at Link from the safety of the backrest. Kneeling on the carpet, the doctor laid his bag on the polished wooden floor and slapped on a pair of gloves, while he gingerly probed the deep cut slashing the side of Link's neck, Uli, nauseous, slowly paced the living room, swallowing rapidly and holding her abdomen. Near the couch, the doctor wiped the blood crusting Link's face with a strong smelling disinfectant, tilted the male's head ever so slightly and shone a torch. Hanch recoiled at the glint of bone.

"Will he be alright?" Uli, now at the door, impatiently peered outside, waiting for Rusl to arrive. The doctor failed to reply and the villagers stared at him anxiously.

Wiping his foggy glasses the medic swapped his bloodied gloves for a new pair. The smell of rubber and eucalyptus hung oppressively in the house. Angling the torch, he wondered how a country bumpkin wounded himself like this. He appeared to be hit by a sword with a flat, heavy tip; judging by the lacerations and the shattered bone. Extracting a wicked pair of surgical forceps from his leather bag, he asked for a tray and received a ceramic plate in return. Biting down a complaint, he extracted a piece of bone and laid the slimy, pink shard on the plate. Someone behind him retched. A man. Holding his hand steady, the doctor ignored the new commotion whirling through the door and the rising tide of voices. Concentration was gold, if he let himself get distracted, the cracked splinters of bone might lodge in muscles, paving the way for unnecessary infections. A long shard of thin bone joined the first and the whiff of boot polish hit the doctor's nose.

The new man, his hair the color of ripe hay, knelt next to the doctor, his square jaw trembling. "You son?" the surgeon asked and received a languid shake of his head. "Does this boy have parents?" None of the villagers replied and after an overbearing pause, the woman replied in a negative, sweat shining on her face. Teasing a square piece of bone from the cut, the doctor's eye twitched when the flat edge cut into the skin, a brief struggle later, the wound freshly bled, and the bone landed with a soft clatter on the plate. Laying his forceps, the doctor faced the men. "I'm afraid his atlas bone is shattered," he explained to blank faces.

"Meaning?" The man with blonde hair prompted, sharing an uneasy glance with the rest.

Angling Link's head back to a comfortable position, the medic clarified, "It means his head supporting bone is shattered. The lad needs to be transferred to a hospital, his wound is serious." Turning, the doctor eased a flexible brace around Link's neck. "I'm afraid this boy needs complete bed rest, he will not be able to move his head for at least two wee-"

Link shot upright on the couch, a hand pressed against the brace.

"..." At a loss for words, the doctor stared at his patient, wide eyes magnified by his spectacles. "He…should be unconscious, the blow to his neck affected his spine and paralysis is a factor..." he broke off when Link moved his arms and legs. The adolescent scrabbled with the brace, tore it off and threw the bloodied foam on the carpet, he looked around, eyes glazed.

"Rusl?" he whispered, uncomprehending. "What...happened to me?" Swinging his legs to the ground, he attempted to stand and Bo threaded his meaty arms under Link's armpits. "Mayor?" Breathing heavily, Link motioned to the door. "I need some rest," he touched the wound on his neck and goggled at fingers stained crimson by blood. "How did this happen?" the adolescent questioned, tone laced in disgust. "This is a joke, I need to get home..." he stumbled towards the door and Rusl caught him, ushering him back to the couch. "No, I want to go home...oh yes, a potion," he pointed to his sack, at the foot of the goatskin couch, "give me one, it will take the pain away."

The potion numbed the ache to the point where Link's neck weighed like stone. Allowing the doctor to clean and dress the wound, he barged out the door after waving apologetically to the villagers. Absentmindedly following the stream, he noticed the lack of children and dragged his feet towards the northern edge of Ordona village. Familiar grass tickled his boots and he stood in front of his house, perplexed.

Squatting in the shade of a tree, Link stared at his palms and at the cloudless sky; he toyed listlessly with Epona's flute and blinked when his shadow elongated and a little monster appeared. A saffron eye appraised him critically. _Worriedly?_ And his fingers clasped the hilt of the sword.

In one fluid motion, the blade tip caressed the hollow of Midna's throat and she rolled her eyes expressively and held her arms up, a mocking smile curled on her lips. "Demon," Link hissed. "We meet again, what do you want and why are you hiding in my shadow?"

The smile on Midna's face drooped and evaporated all together.

"Just so you know," she examined her nails disinterestedly, "Princess Zelda is gone, she gave up her life to save mine," Midna related and the blade tip at her neck twitched. Link's ragged exhales brushed across her face. "If you don't believe little old me, take a stroll through Castle Town and weep at the state of Hyrule Castle." The sword dropped on the grassy floor. "Well, all things considered, I think we are doing a rather good job." The imp cackled but did not approach the human, his eyes glinted ominously and he sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose. "We saved the Zora, rescued a corrupt Goron patriarch, retrieved a shard from the broken Mirror of Twilight, killed my fiancé..." Midna rattled callously and Link placed the Master Sword back in its hilt.

Incensed by her chatter, he growled and massaged his head. Princess Zelda...gone? She exchanged her life for this accursed imp?

The Mirror of Twilight, Link pondered and rose to his feet, resolve granting him strength. Painstakingly, he climbed the ladder leading to his front door, fingers digging in the wood. Ducking through, he paused inside the living room. Dust swirled in the golden rays of sunshine slanting through the circular windows. Striding across the threadbare carpet, he stopped at the kitchen, eyes falling on the cast iron pot hanging in the heath. Briefly glancing at the plates and glasses neatly piled on thick wooden shelves, he eased his way back to the living room, brushing his hands across the slab of oak serving as a table. Thick tomes, recently disturbed, crammed the shelves lining the lounge and wondering if everyone in Ordona knew of his role as the Triforce Bearer of Courage, he ascended to his bedroom. The beanpole ladder creaked under his weight and the walled platform, holding his bed and study table, resonated with a foreign cadence. Shuffling to his table, he rifled through the objects strewn across the surface. Pens, diagrams, notes in his neat handwriting detailing the locations of Mirror of Twilight. Snatching the pamphlet, he read the locations and his eyes snapped upwards.

Someone scribbled on the pictographs hanging above his desk. Lifting one of the gold gilded frames, Link scrutinized a curly, pen moustache on his upper lip. Wearily, he put the frame on the desk and shook his head. The pictograph of him with the falcon is one of his favorite ones...

Pictograph...

The adolescent laughed. Not pictograph, painting.

"Imp," he called and waited for the demon to detach from his shadow. "I need to confirm something," he tapped the sheet of paper. "The Mirror is broken?" Midna nodded, keeping a respectful distance between them. "And you and this child are going around retrieving it?" Another nod of agreement. "So I can assume Snowpeak produced results," he spoke to himself, noting a check next to the province's name, "and now I have to go to the Temple of Time." Link inhaled sharply, ever since he could remember, he had a burning desire to explore the Temple of Time. The ruins of the ancient Hyrule Castle where the Hero of Time embarked on his quest to vanquish Ganondorf. Rocking on the soles of his boots, Link imagined walking down the same corridors, stepping on the same stones as _him_. "How did I get this wound?" he questioned and gestured to the injury.

Regarding him silently, Midna pulled out of her thoughts and answered, "You got clobbered by a Darknut."

"A what?" the male exclaimed, revulsion creeping in a self-assured gaze. "A monster did this to me? _Pathetic_." He rummaged in a creaking chest and removed potions, a length of gauze and a tin of ointment; placing these on the table, he hunted for a sack and lopped the lot in the woven interior. Climbing down, he retraced his path back to the kitchen and filled the bag with non-perishables, a cheese wheel and loaves of bread.

While he clattered in the kitchen, Midna silently followed. Despite the shock of being suddenly transported back home, Link wasted no time in integrating.

Five minutes later, he tightened his belt and boots, secured his sword and shield and marched out the door, cap streaming in a breeze. A shrill whistle produced Epona and here; the unflappable man threaded his fingers into the horse's caramel mane and buried his face in her coat. Routinely, he adjusted the saddle and murmured words of comfort.

Observing him with a sinking heart, Midna resolutely tried to push a grinning man-child out of her mind. She produced a bottle of milk from hyperspace and remembered how Link refused it, citing it was three days old. The Link in front of her loaded his sack of supplies on Epona's back, vaulted into the saddle with grace born from years of practice and squeezed her flank, directing her to the path leading to the sacred grove. Still clutching the bottle of milk, the Twilli dove into his shadow, mere seconds before the horse broke into a sprint, reassured of the rider on her back.

Familiar scents and the crunching of dead leaves did nothing to calm the turbulence in his chest. Stopping at the ruins of Sacred Groove, Link lightly smacked Epona's flank and sent her bolting back home with a carrot wedged between yellow teeth. The early morning mist thinned into a veil of gossamer but the rotting undertones of fungus and leaves, tickled his nose. Sneezing, he stalked to the entrance of the Temple of Time and without breaking stride, phased through the intricately carved doors.

"Can you direct me to the Darknut?" he asked his shadow and the imp bled into view, color leaching in her two toned skin. "Your name, I don't think we ever properly introduced ourselves to each other. Although, I suppose you know more about me than I care to admit." Eyes like chips of glacier ice, Link studied Midna. Losing interest in her, he shifted his scrutiny to the Temple vestibule and his eyes widened, lip curling into a half smile. Lowering himself in front of the nearest column, he ran his hands over the marble and breathed, overwhelmed by its splendor. "It's a shame..." he mumbled, "that such a beautiful and significant palace like this is allowed to fall in ruin." He stared at Midna waiting for an answer to his earlier questions.

"I am Midna, the Twilight Princess," she greeted with a mock bow and Link grinned like she confirmed his suspicions. Mirroring his wolfish grin, Midna continued, "I'm also a close confidant of Zelda's and I sought refuge with her after my advisor betrayed me." Halting from his column mooning, Link focused on Midna with laser like intensity. "From the books lining your shelves back home," the imp bobbed in the air, "I believe you are aware of Twilight Realm, and how Ganondorf was exiled in there." Link nodded, eyes hardening at the Gerudo's name. "Well, he went ahead and incited the shadow invasion. The child and I pushed the curtain of Twilight back but with the Mirror's shattering, I cannot return and see what has become of Twilight...though I don't suppose it's anything pleasant."

Midna shrugged, tailing after Link who stopped at the entrance of a tightly shut double door. He stared at the empty pedestal, lacking a statue, and whipped around to the open doors, his head rotated slightly more to the left and he petrified, hand jerking to his sword.

Intrigued as to what scared the normally unfazed adolescent, Midna looked back and smirked when she spotted Ooccoo.

The bird flapped closer, and Link jumped back, leveling his sword with the bird's tiny button nose. "Really now," the creature admonished, "I saved your life, you can stop pretending to be terrified of me." Ooccoo clucked his tongue, "I can warp you back to the Darknut..." the rice white bird broke off when the human's gaze bored into its soul. The wound must have made him irritable, Ooccoo sagely concluded.

"It speaks," Link croaked and relaxed at the mention of the Darknut. "I need to get to the Darknut." He glanced at his palms, brow furrowing at the stitches on his right palm. "There is a statue there I need to bring here," he pointed to the empty spot, "only then will I be able to access the most intimate parts of the Castle." He wondered if he might find relics belonging to the Hero of Time. Perhaps a statue he could snap a pictograph of? Taming wayward thoughts, he politely requested Ooccoo to transport him to the Midboss.

Standing in the mouth of a dusky chamber, Link unsheathed his sword and twirled it experimentally. The sword moved as an extension of his arm and he practiced his sets. Blade winking in the grey, time preserved light swamping the temple; he lunged, sliced, parried and pumped blood back to stiffened muscles. Satisfaction blooming as sweat patches on his tunic, he grinned, face degrees brighter than the morning. He stalked fearlessly into the dim room and Midna involuntarily warned him to be careful, stiffening when Link examined her.

The adolescent snorted contemptuously and when darkness enveloped his form, she floated to the floor and crossed tiny arms over her chest. "It's better this way," she chided herself. "This hero knows what he is doing."

But she missed the other child's carefree smiles and shenanigans. She craved to know what he thought. One Link was an open book, surprise in the arches of his eyebrows, sadness in the pout of his lips. Anger blazing in sharp irises. The other Link closed himself like a clam. Eyes guarded and mouth lifted into a mocking smile each time she warned him of dangers.

As she stewed in her thoughts, footsteps echoed from the darkened room. Shooting to the air and heart thumping in her chest, Midna scowled. Barely a minute passed since Link entered, did his wound flare up?

Emerging with a stone staff clutched between his fingers, the hero stepped into view and Midna pulled short.

Blood streaked his face and a droplet clung to his bottom lip. She did not see any lacerations on his skin...

Link turned to her, eyes shining and Midna's stomach twisted into an unpleasant knots.

_Monster_. Her mind echoed.

* * *

**A/N:** It was a nice change to write Link spending time with the Grandma-of-everyone's-dreams. Those parts were my favorite. Although, I'll admit that writing him as axe-crazy is strangely liberating. Feeling mad? Make up an axe-crazy character of your own and daydream how it feels to _crush_ your enemies!

And remember to leave the crushing part to the daydreams.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Hopefully the readers are enjoying the story.

Also, I'm sorry for the delay, something came up.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**Hide not the madness**

He wiped the persistent drop of blood and his footsteps echoed with the thudding of stone. Expertly twirling the Dominion Rod, Link animated a small herd of statues and traced a path with his map.

Reeling, Midna followed him, the scrape of stone on stone roared in her ears. She still refused to believe it took the adolescent only one minute...one _measly_ minute to get rid of the Darknut. While he figured the Rod in his grasp, she warped to the chamber bathed in shadows and the oppressive stench of copper filled her nostrils. Stripped clean of its armor, the Darknut lay in a mangled heap on the floor, blood sluggishly oozing from a deep stab under the left ribs.

Excitement and terror flooded in her veins and she viewed the human with resentful respect.

When she materialized back into the airy, open spaces, he waited for her near a bell shaped statute. Lime green ribbons pulsed on the structures and they hummed with life, resonating with the rest of the temple.

"A teleporting device," Link bumped the bell with the Dominion Rod. "I sent the statue ahead; I need to position it at the foyer." Poking his head under the teleporter, he hunted around, sniffed and whipped out his map, consulting the twisting paths.

Without warning, the human disappeared. Having no grasp on his thought, she drifted after him and dived in his shadow just as a pair of doors slung closed. Link emerged in a rectangular room populated by gold fences; he stopped to admire the decor, mutter to himself and paused cautiously near a gateway rimmed by two golden posts.

The Twilli smirked, let's see how much brains this brat got.

Raising the stone staff, he bashed the winged edge against one of the golden rods and expertly jumped back when an electrical storm cackled. Hair raised in a halo, Link waited for the fizz of sparks to die down. The air smelt of ozone. Vaulting over the mangled metal, he breezed through the rooms, stopping to run his hands delicately over the walls.

Slightly disappointed at the traps for not scratching him, Midna perked when he walked into a room full of armos statues. The human paused as the ancient weapons glimmered to life, sputtering and flashing with cyan lines. Link calmly unslung the bow from his shoulder, inspected the arrows and grinned bemusedly at the bomb arrows.

The statues shuffled into ranks and advanced, their undersides chafing the granite of the floor. Taking aim, Link let a bomb arrow soar and it sailed over the first three ranks and detonated against a pillar.

Emerging from his shadow, Midna laughed. "The bumbling twelve year old I hung out with had better aim than you," she stated bitterly and bared her fang when the first armos exploded, raining gears and chunks of slate. "Hmph, I have to admit, you are impressively calculated in battle. You barely flinch." She watched him string more bomb arrows and blast the armos statues apart. His eyes shifted, tracking, seeking and exploiting. When the last of the glowing statues erupted in a blast of shrapnel, he picked the Dominion Rod and started forward. "Let me hold to that for you," Midna offered and Link reluctantly let the artifact go, watching fascinatedly as it vanished into hyperspace. "Not one to trust easily are you?"

"No. You will have to earn my trust," he quipped. "I wonder...why I came back?" he whispered out loud and frowned, casting a surreptitious glance at the Twilli.

"Regretting coming back to your home realm?" Midna teased, but did not dare to get close. She loved her arms, even if they were deformed.

Guiding the stone idol and using it to crush baby gohma with its axe blade, Link ushered his pet stone to the vestibule and reunited it with its partner. "I'm not regretting anything," he droned. "Simply put," he studied Midna, "Daphnes makes a better companion than you." She raised a questioning eyebrow at the name. "My talking boat," Link answered and chuckled at the absurdity of such a thing, he held the Dominion Rod aloft. Magic, he mused. The Temple of Time was infused in magic and to think he used to scoff at such a thing. "I miss Daphnes," he confessed and exhaled tiredly. Perhaps resting before tackling the dungeon was a preferable idea, but he could not stop now. The double doors leading to the sealed areas whined open, and Link grinned to himself, the red boat's admonishing tones ringing in his ears.

Sobering at the whistle of golden blades, the hero cursed his own carelessness. He pulled his mind back from the thoughts of spear fishing in the sea and checked his surroundings. A corridor of sandstone, with giant blades swinging in the air, trapped him. Standing back, he counted the seconds between one blade swing and the next and like yarn weaving through a loom, bypassed the blades without as much as a terrified screech or an unnecessary movement.

Breathing hard, he emerged on the other side and rammed the big key into the giant padlock, barely pausing to rest.

The doors opened to a humungous chamber tiled in ivory. Boots squeaking, Link crossed the threshold, eyes darting to the statues. Large windows, set at equal intervals, allowed grey light to flood the room, preserving its timeless character. Searching for the elusive dungeon boss, Armogohma, according to the books; Link strolled to a window, fingers gripping the trellis. The world outside, suspended in time. Neatly trimmed hedges boarded the Castle edge and low trees provided cover, their leaves the color of flint. Breath frosting on the glass, Link spun, stalked to the statues and examined them.

Their stone fists were raised high in a static salute and the adolescent mirrored their stances, a smile winding across his face. Midna gawked from the shadows. Link's first impression was of a tight lipped weapon of destruction; however, from the first meeting to the next, the iciness in his eyes seemed to soften.

Bumping the statue's fist with the Dominion Rod, the human moved to the next one and ran his fingers over the groves, he stepped back, noted the placements and finally, tilted his chin up, irises zeroing on the arachnid clinging to the roof.

Webs of silk clung to the corners of the roof and Armogohma studied the human with all of its eyes. It ran across the roof and the giant, amber eye embedded in its body, never left Link.

Drawing his bow Link fired several arrows in rapid succession, clucking his tongue in disappointment when his arrows glanced sharply off the armored spider. Aiming slightly to the right of Armogohma's position, Link fired another arrow and the glinting weapon sliced through the air, burying in a giant pupil.

Shriveling, Armogohma crashed to the floor, its stone clad legs shattering the tiles. Whipping his ball and chain, Link pummeled the insect till it skidded to a stop at the foot of the statue and pondered. As the arachnoid stirred, its armor barely scratched, Link twirled the Rod and the lime green pulse of light animated a dead statue.

The fist mashed downwards and his teeth glinted in the half light. Pieces of stone bounced everywhere and the hero slowly raised his hand, observing the smashed arachnoid clicking it mandibles frenziedly. Armogohma sprang to its intact legs and broke into a dash and Link swung the rod sideways hissing in satisfaction when the fist pinned the monster's abdomen.

At the edge of the chamber, Midna yawned; having no part of the action, she preferred to stare at the greyscale landscape outside.

Three statue smashes and numerous pieces of broken tile later, Link circled Armogohma's twitching body. The monster leaked blood and foul odor. Using his sword, he served the appendages at the joints and kicked them away, the barbs snagging his boots. Link turned the insect upright and whipped out his shield to block a red hot laser from searing his skin. The residual light burned a line on his cheek and created a black scorch stripe on the aegis. Armogohma scuttled a few paces, convulsed and hatched a mass of chattering, baby gohma. Dragging their soft abdomens across the floor, they defended their mother's amber eye and Link tracked their progress, fascinated by the herd mentality. He twirled his sword and followed the baby insects, feeling sorry for what he was about to do.

A silver blade torpedoed into the single eye and the baby gohma collectively scattered. Stringing a bomb arrow, Link rocked the chamber with several detonations and lowered his bow when the smoke cleared.

"Boring," he breathed. A panel at the back of the room switched open and a platform of marble slid out with a grating noise. Both Link and Midna bolted towards it and he grabbed the Twilight Mirror shard before the imp could properly see it. "So this is the infamous Twilight Mirror?" Link inspected the quicksilver glass, chapped fingers tracing the orphic symbols. "Feels heavy," he tossed the shard and caught it, the jagged edge biting a ruby line in his palm. Clamping a hand on his throbbing neck, he fished a potion from his backpack and drowned it, sighing in relief when the pain subsided. "...I have a responsibility to..." Link broke off and moodily shuffled to the hidden door at the back. "Frankly, the Temple of Time was…disappointing."

They stepped out into a cool, late afternoon breeze and as soon as he passed the archway, guarded by stone warriors clutching spears, the structures disintegrated. Tensing, Link searched the clearing for other signs of change but only decay greeted him. He wandered aimlessly; restlessly flitting from tree to tree and at long last, sat on a broken column, the rough pieces digging into his behind.

"Why don't you go home and recuperate?" Midna asked and pointedly stared at the hand fastened to his neck, "the doctor said you need absolute bed rest if you want to fully recover, you have a broken neck."

"How unfortunate," Link drawled and put the horse's call to his lips. The notes rang shrill and crisp in the damp air and before long, Epona's hooves clattered on grass breaking through stone floors. She stopped next to Link and he brushed her coat fondly. "Where are the children?" he asked and Midna informed him about Kakariko village and Renado the shaman. "And Ilia? Where is she?"

Midna suppressed the feral smile threatening to split her face in two. "Your girlfriend suffers from amnesia, she's forgotten everything, even poor little you." She floated; a little disturbed by the way the human's face paralyzed, stone white in fear. "Don't worry," Midna assured, "I'm sure a visit from you will set everything right." Link's features tightened into an ugly glower and his expression mellowed as he vaulted on Epona. "...What's eating you?" she prodded, "you don't look especially thrilled to be back." Midna rotated lazily in the air. "You are not fooling me," the Twilli shrugged, "I've lived longer than most humans, and if I can accurately read Zelda...I can most certainly decipher what _you_ are thinking." She carefully perched on Link's shoulder, grinning when he did not twitch. "Someone's Grandma said it's best to let everything out," she waved her hand nonchalantly in the air when the hero's eyes rested contemplatively on her, "or something along those lines. If you don't want to speak to me then talking with the villagers-"

"This does not concern you, Rusl or anyone. Thanks for worrying." The words seeped between gritted teeth and Link urged Epona into a canter. "What's the location of the next shard?" he asked, "never mind that, I want to see Colin and the others." A smile broke across his lips and he eased in the saddle. "I'll head for Kakariko at first light tomorrow, are you coming with?" He tilted his head at Midna and she scoffed before diving in his shadow. "Great, a companion I can't get away from," he mumbled. "...Embarrassing."

The imp popped from his shadow and leered at him suggestively. "Don't worry," she patted his scarred knuckles. "I took the liberty of bathing you when you had a fever." Epona stopped as Link glared at the demon; cheeks flushing in indignation. "Though the boy was pretty shameless," she continued relentlessly, "he kept on asking me to towel him dry because I'm a century old demon and he doesn't mind old people seeing him naked."

Midna cackled as Link defensively crossed his arms over his chest, mind short-circuiting on mental picture of him streaking naked across the fields. The scars on his chest were enough for everyone to fret, but what if they saw the wounds lacing his inner thighs? He'd never hear the end of it from Uli or Sera and once Sera knew something...the whole village was bound to find out.

"...What else did the child do?" he asked in a deceptively calm tone and Midna's too wide smile dipped.

"Nothing, he cried day and night for his sister and Grandmother and struggled to walk in boots too large for him," she informed and he nodded in understanding.

A breeze played with the end of his cap and he pressed against Epona, urging her to go faster. The sun dipped behind the treetops and rays of amber sunshine struck his face. Brooding, Link numbly slid off his horse, eyed the path leading to Ordona village proper and reluctantly, climbed into his house.

Late that night, he stared into the Twilight mirror shard, disappointed at the reflection staring back at him.

* * *

Dust seeped into his mouth and nested into his hair. Tying Epona securely at a cracking wood post, Link offered his horse some sugar and stroked her muzzle as she crunched, her breath fanning his forehead. He grimaced at the sight of the dusty hamlet. At this rate, the children will develop chest problems from breathing in all this grit. Another gust of wind sprayed a handful of gravel in his eyes and Link sneezed.

Riding to Kakariko took approximately two days and drained him in more ways than one, Link mechanically chewed the sandwiches Uli graciously packed for him. For some reason, they did not taste the same. The layers of cheese and whole-wheat bread did not appeal to him any longer and after nibbling on half a slice, he fed the rest to Epona.

Dust devils chased around his boots and he eyed the dilapidated buildings in disdain. Did people seriously stay here? Windows, missing glass, were taped shut by sheets of tin or cardboard. Pausing near the porch of a relatively maintained building, Link squinted at the shop's creaking sign, lips breaking into a bemused smirk when he read the words through a layer of grime. The doorbell chimed when he walked in and he chuckled when Malo regarded him from behind the counter.

"Standing on a box aren't you?" Link teased and eyed the impressive collection of weapons displayed behind the midget. He also noted the presence of two elderly Gorons, dozing near the door. Malo eyed him disinterestedly and stepped aside, his little round head vanishing behind the wooden counter.

"Coming from a guy who can barely spare two hundred rupees for a shield," the midget retorted flatly. "Go feed your goats...and I missed you," the boy declared emotionlessly, large eyes widening when Link pressed a covered parcel in his hands. "What?" Malo questioned and sniffed, "its honey pudding, did you make this?"

Link held up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't insult my kids," he stated and walked out, the door banging shut behind him. On the porch, he shaded his eyes and scanned for Renado's house, the imp told him it was a circular sanctuary. Head snapping, he swiped a seed bullet out of the air and sidestepped when several brown kernels rolled to a stop by his feet. "Talo, enough. Slingshot one more of those seeds at me and I'll let Malo have your share of pudding." A sharp intake of breath revealed the spirited boy squatting in the branches of a nearby tree; he jumped down, bare feet kicking up dust and wrapped his hands around Link's waist. "Here, courtesy of your Mom, everyone is very worried about you," Link announced and handed a woven basket.

Peeling his face away from Link's chest, Malo stared at him. "Did you get your memories back?" Link nodded without missing a beat. "Thank Din, these past few months with you felt...unreal. It was like someone else took over your body." Laughing, the adolescent, waved the absurdities away and ruffled Talo's hair. "Oh yeah!" the child exuberantly exclaimed and tugged Link to the sanctuary. "You gotta see Colin and Ilia, although, she's lost your memory like you." Halting suddenly in midstride, the boy adjusted the bandana on his head and asked, "How did you get your memories back anyway?" Link shrugged offhandedly and shook his head.

_I never lost my memories._

_I just wasn't here._

They crossed the dirt road and Link's mind temporarily bounced to Ooccoo.

Before he left the Temple of Time the bird appeared and asked for the Dominion Rod. Reluctantly, the hero handed it over and remembered why it would not work in current circumstances.

The creation of the Twilight realm led to a power imbalance, anyone seen utilizing magic, whether for personal gain or otherwise, was exiled. Little by little, the Hylian Royal Family seized control of all forms of magic and publicly stamped out such beliefs.

Boots dragging over loose soil, Link entered the sanctuary and stopped face to chest with a Goron; bowing respectfully and eyes adjusting to dim light, the adolescent regarded Renado and next to him, Ilia. She looked at him vacantly and offered a shy smile, and returning the gesture with an uneasy one of his own, Link ducked when the Goron attempted to pat his back and the rocky hand sailed over his head, catching the cap and wrenching it off his head.

"..." Darbus bent to pick the cloth cap off the floor and offered it to Link, who absentmindedly jammed it back on his sandy locks. "It's good to see you again hero," the Goron boomed and the human drew a blank. "You saved me from the corrupting influence of the Twilight shadow?" Darbus attempted to cajole the wide smile back on the boy's face, the last time; Link stuffed his cheeks with rock cakes and swam like a fish in the hot springs, flicking water at Gor Coron.

Gor Coron grinned widely, his cottony hair waving with his movements. "Don't tell me you forgot boy!" he boomed and Link paused in the involuntary rocking on his feet. "You promised to visit but it has been ages, those rock cakes won't wait around forever!"

The shaman, standing in the shadows cast by wooden support beams, held a letter and after politely nodding to the over friendly Gorons (weren't they supposed to be a conservative race?) Link exchanged pleasantries with them whilst Talo squeezed him tighter around the waist.

"I've been sleep deprived lately," the hero confessed and pointed to the shadows ringing his eyes. "Not thinking properly," he grinned and nearly kissed the dirt floor when Darbus smacked him jovially on his back. The elder Goron merely patted his head with a gnarled, twig like hand and muttered something about rock buns. "Now, I'd like to get down to business," Renado's eyes gleamed at the statement, "How do I-"

A clatter of falling objects and muffled curses prefaced the appearance of Shad. The Hylian tripped over his boots, denim blue eyes shining behind round glasses. A chorus of giggles erupted in the next room and Link recognized Beth's high pitched laugh. Caramel brown hair dusted with silver cobwebs, Shad sat on the floor, the wood creaking under his weight, and untied his knotted laces.

"Shad?" Link asked bewilderedly and knelt to help the man, fingers scrabbling with the intricate knots. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

The man removed his glasses and polished them. "I found one of the Owl statues," he explained and the hero's fingers became slack. _Statues?_ "Yes old boy, Rusl told me you're going to the Temple of Time and that place is imbued with magical energy of the old." Shad fumbled with his book, opening it to a map. "The Temple of Time was at first, Hyrule Castle."

Giving up with the laces, Link motioned for a stool and Talo eagerly dragged a rickety one over. Helping Shad on the chair, he listened.

"The Castle fell in ruin after the passing of the Queen." The entire room held its breath. "And following her demise, the Hero of Time, who was a bit deranged in the head," Talo heard a sharp intake of breath and reassuringly squeezed Link's hand, "grabbed his only daughter and disappeared to..." Shad squinted at his notes, "a place called Termina." The man looked up. "I'm not sure where that is." Slumping, Link attempted to digest this information. The Hero of Time had a few screws loose? _Unthinkable._ "In any case, he came back years later, alone and roamed around like a nomad. Wherever he stayed, the local population built an owl effigy to commemorate his courage and wisdom and these became dormant sites of light magic. Later on, the Castle was transformed into a temple for him but he died under mysterious circumstances and was never heard of again."

Silence gripped the company listening to Shad's tale. Anxious, Ilia returned from the kitchen with a glass of water and the scholar gulped it down. "Perhaps I should make some tea?" she offered and shrunk when Link glowered at her. "Or pumpkin pie?"

Colin burst into the room at that moment and his droopy eyes landed on Link. Grinning widely, a contrast to the adolescent's souring mood; the boy flung his pale arms around the hero and greeted happily. Ruffling his shock of fine hair, Link redirected his attention to Renado.

"The Owl statues are important," Link stated, "but I'm more concerned with getting Ilia's memory back." Colin's grin inched wider while Shad adjusted his glasses and pored over his coffee colored map.

"I understand but won't you look at the statue in the basement?" the scholar insisted. "We cannot trace one of the mirror shards and I came here to investigate when Ilia mentioned something about a Dominion Rod?" Again, Link's head turned to her and she held his gaze, marble green eyes glimmering with a trace of her old defiance. "The rod is said to be the key to awakening the statues and-"

Link stalked towards Renado, footsteps silent on the wooden floor. Sunlight barely shone through the cloth draped windows and burning candles, placed in dusty sconces, shimmered permanently, casting long shadows on the people's faces. "Memory is a funny thing," he rasped, the dust of Kakariko Town choked him. "It often comes back when we revisit old places." Link's fingers itched, he wanted to grab the front of the shaman's robe and shake him. "I would appreciate it if you told me where Ilia was found." He sensed a question forming on the shaman's bewildered expression and pressed, "I have a lot of things on my mind, no questions, just tell me where I need to go."

Renado, sun kissed dried by the dusty atmosphere of Kakariko, handed Link a letter. "Telma and I are good friends," he concurred. "It's a shame I can't bear her presence." He shook his head, beaded dreadlocks winking in candle flame. "Go to Telma's bar in Castle Town, she will give you more information."

* * *

Hugging Colin and Talo warmly to his chest, he handed the rest of the food parcels and waved. "But Beth?" the blonde boy prompted and Link smiled sadly. "Oh, don't worry, I'll tell her you will come by soon, you can depend on me." Both boys eagerly offered their heads for a last minute hair ruffle and watched the tunic clad male walk off, becoming one with the end of Kakariko's main road.

Leaning against an old post, Link massaged his forehead furiously. "Couldn't wait to cure your girlfriend huh?" Midna clattered in his head, "The Twilight Mirror is of utmost importance, you should be chasing after it, your girlfriend is under good care, her problem can be tackled later."

"What I should be doing," the human growled, "is splitting my skull open and _ridding myself of you_."

"Hmm? Ahahaha, and here Zelda told me you operate with an objective mind." The Twilli cackled. "What happened to living up to the hero's legacy?"

Striking his head against the post, Link breathed a sigh of relief when the demon quieted, but now, his ears rung and a pounding headache throbbed his temples. Holding the post and rocking on his heels, he pulled the Twilight Mirror shard and scrutinized his face in it.

Please_...Please.._.

He thought he saw a glint of pitch black irises, but the cloud cover broke and a sandy haired youth stared back, hair messy under his cap. Sighing, he leaned against the mast and closed his eyes.

Lulled to sleep by gentle waves.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Brave and quiet in suffering**

_A talking boat..._

Domed arches, tops clouded in darkness, rose over his head.

_A talking boat..._

Link, hanging over the side of a little red boat, stared at his reflection, rippling on the water. His lips quirked into a smile threatening to split in face in half. At last, no more Mr. Handsome guy and his icy blue irises; just him and his chubby? No wait, his jaw became angular. Pulling his once pudgy cheek, Link leant closer to the dark, mirror-esque surface of the water and frowned at his skin. A shade darker than normal...he felt like a roasted peanut. Speaking of peanuts…his stomach growled and the noise echoed in the confines of...wherever this was. Clamping his child hands over a soft stomach, the boy unbuckled his belt and pulled his tunic upwards, pouting at the jiggling folds, he poked his abdomen and his finger sunk without resistance. Sighing, he grinned again and turned, searching for his companion.

"Midna, I'm hungry," he called and sniffed the air. Strange, he could not smell so clearly anymore. He waited for the inevitable snark issuing from her mouth but no pre-giggle graced his ears.

Oh...He finally realized as his eyes landed on the dragon head boat. No Midna.

No Uli...Or Rusl or...the children...Agitha.

Or Midna.

"Are you alright?" The King of Red Lions asked.

_A talking boat._

Link wondered why he did not jump out of his skin; instead, he rotated to examine the boat. Tiny; perfect for a lone sailor. "I'm fine," he replied evenly, "My name is Link..." he offered and smiled sweetly. For reasons unknown, the figurehead's blue eyes lost color and a queasy sensation forced Link to crawl to the side of the rocking boat. He threw up a mouthful of bitter fluid and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I can't believe I'm vomiting!" Exclaiming, he hunted for a bottle of water and reached into a large sack. His hands brushed against the organized contents and marveling, he peeked into the bag, impressed. Uncorking a bottle of water, he extracted a jar of thick soup and opened it.

The heavenly aroma of Elixir soup prompted tears to his eyes.

"Grandma..." His breath hitched and he hugged the jar. "I can finally see Grandma again!" His high pitched voice bounced back from gold paneled walls. He barely noticed anything, imagination running wild at the thought of visiting Outset Island; he remembered Midna saying something about the other Link. Hyrule's Link. Who probably rescued his sister in record time. "Aryll..." He breathed her name and dug in the sack, upsetting jars and scrolls and pulling out a familiar handkerchief. "Grandma's," he told the boat and wept into it, greedily inhaling the scent of pressed flowers and fire warmed logs. Sitting on the deck, he cried, unable to believe he was home again. "I'm home," he said shakily to no one in particular and heard the creak of wood as the figurehead rotated to the front. "I'm home," he repeated to the dragonhead, trying to diffuse the overwhelming happiness crushing his heart. "I'm HOME!" Link screamed, tears tracing wet lines on his cheek. "I'm going to to meet Grandma," he declared and grabbed the oar, dipping it into the water and paddling effortlessly.

Alarmed, the King of Red Lions turned, surprised when they hysterical boy nudged the boat out of the tower and into the sun.

This will not do.

He tried to derail the boy by turning sideways; however, the child, possessing a rudimentary knowledge of sailing, neatly paddled the other way, setting the prow on a course to the south. The Tower of Gods blotted the sun but Link barely glanced at it and continued rowing furiously, cheeks ruddy and out of breath. The King of Red Lion's compared the boy's face with the pink clouds on the western horizon; any hopes of a storm remained small.

Pausing in his rowing, the boy tottered to the back of the boat and searched in the chests, astonished at the abundance of food and fruit laying the caskets. Extracting a slice of cheese, he mashed it into his mouth and continued hunting, leaving oily fingerprints everywhere. Uttering a triumphant cry, he extracted the sea chart and a compass and the sight of the walnut sheets prompted the King of Red Lions' nonexistent heart to plummet further. Clutching the compass, the boy squinted at the sun, swept pitch black, innocent irises, at the flat plains of water and rotated.

The compass wheel pointed to true north and Link shaded his face from the sun. The sun rose in the east? Yes the east, he remembered Midna teaching him how to read a map. "So that must be the west," he mumbled and peered at the rolling clouds. "North is opposite of south," he spun again and checked the map, "so that means Outset Island is in...South West." The child mentally patted himself on a job well done. "I'm facing South East so I'll just…" Still muttering, Link adjusted the horizontal boom and scrunched his face at the sail, pointing to it, he asked, "What's up with the sailcloth? You won't sail smoothly with it." He approached the figurehead warily, did wooden dragons bite?

The boat silently studied the child, missing the hint of experienced intelligence buried deep in ebony irises.

"My boy, you cannot go home," the King of Red Lions stated and a flare of anger turned Link's cheerful eyes into inkwells of wrath. "I'm sorry." In response, the child grabbed the paddle and determinedly rowed to his destination. "Sailing requires air currents, if you keep on rowing, it will take us months to reach Outset Island." Whispering under his breath, Link angled the sail and it snagged a breeze, shooting forward in white foamed waters. "Link, please listen to me, you've just returned from Outset Island," the boat pleaded, "going back there will arouse suspicion. Also, you need to use the WindWaker." The boy stilled, bottom lip jutted out in confusion. "It is an ivory baton allowing you to change wind currents."

The boy rifled through the sacks. "I'm searching for it now," he hissed and upended the contents of the bag on the deck. A mason jar unrolled from a length of cotton fabric and bumped to a stop on his...mutilated boot. Grimacing at the condition of his clothes, Link lifted the jar and shook it. "Where is the WindWaker?" he asked and uncorked the bottle, coughing at the acrid tint of plant juice. Raising the jar, he parted his mouth for an experimental sip.

"Don't drink that!" the King of Lions bellowed and Link jumped. The liquid splashed on his lips, dripped down his chin and soaked his forearms. "It's hemlock, and it's deadly, wash your face and make sure none of the liquid touches the inside of your mouth!" The boat stressed and shook his head, worry straining his voice.

Obediently, Link did as he was told, his lips tingled and he bit on them, trying to shake of the numbing sensation.

"As for the WindWaker," the figurehead jerked his chin near a pile of towering wooden boxes, "it's in a tin cup...next to Link's toothbrush."

Gargling his mouth one last time, Link waded through the sea of objects on deck and halted at the shiny mug. A toothbrush stood opposite a tube of teeth cleaning paste, but no WindWaker.

Shaking his head, the boy called, "Boaty, the WindWaker is not here."

_Boaty?_ Remembering the respect laced in the other Link's words each time he spoke, such a casual name came as a shock. Boaty...only his deity friends and the one cheeky Fishman called him that. "You can refer me as...The King of Red Lions." The boy's eyes sparked and he mouthed the word King under his breath. "...Or Daphnes, whichever you prefer. As I said, you cannot revisit-"

"Daphnes, the WindWaker is not here." Link whined and rattled the contents of the cup.

The boat sighed.

This was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

By the time the King of Red Lions managed to summarize the requirements of Link's task, the boy fell fast asleep, mumbling incoherently and head resting on the piles of things rolling around the plywood deck. His chest rose and fell, a beam of scarlet sunlight painted his hand and the ocean pitched gently. His expression belied little, but if his serene face was any indication, Link dreamt of pleasant things, or he did not dream at all.

The figurehead angled prussian blue eyes back to the safety of the Tower and cruised. A clatter of falling objects resounded from the deck and the child woke, rubbing his fists into swollen eyes. Bright blonde hair parted into unruly spikes, Link yawned, feebly tried to tug his cap out from underneath a barrel of freshwater and gave up. Wiping lazy tears, he stood in the boat and grabbed the paddle. After a moment's hesitation, he nudged the boat inside the gloomy tower interior and stopped at the previous landing space.

"I can see Grandma and Aryll after I finish this tower right?" he confirmed. "So when I finish defeating the final boss, I'll get the Triforce of Courage?" The boat hesitantly nodded. "...When I was stuck in Hyrule...I had it at the back of my left hand, they said...well Midna said actually," he listlessly gathered the objects and threw them haphazardly in sacks and boxes, "that the Triforce of Courage, Wisdom and Power are reincarnated every few milli...Melleni...Me-"

"Millennia," Daphnes offered and Link nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, that." A crash of glass sounded from the bag and he guiltily checked the inside. "Nothing's broken," he said with a smile. "So...the Triforce bearers are always locked into a struggle for power and Ganondorf is really bad. He's always the one with the Triforce of Power and he wants the other pieces for himself...He's greedy." Link concluded and tied the ends of his bag.

"That he is," the King of Red Lions agreed softly. "But so are other people."

The boy perched on the taffrails. "Hmm...I wanted them too," he confided softly and gripped the rails. "I thought if I got all the pieces, I'll be able to figure out and prevent what is happening. In Hyrule, there was this shadow invasion..."

He remembered the cold bite of Arbiter's grounds as he sat on the floor and watched a memory, projected by the last Twilight Mirror shard. It showed a brown skinned man, orange red hair rolled into tight curls atop his head. Forgetting the gravity of the exile, Link focused on Ganondorf's clothes, jet black armor trimmed in gold and offset by a rich, burgundy cape.

Goddess Farore, that man dressed to impress.

Seven sages of light, swamped with robes of fluttering porcelain, surrounded the Gerudo. Link's eyes hurt at the contrast of sheer brilliance and shadows. Splayed vertically against a giant slab of stone, Ganondorf's golden eyes speared into the sages, gaze lingering on the faces and diffusing murderous intent. Shivering, Link shuffled against Midna, who remained enraptured by the cinematic display. Runes and chains of silver bound the Triforce holder of Power, yet, he showed no signs of defeat. One of the sages withdrew a warlock sword, its surface shining with a retina searing light. The blade sheathed into Ganondorf's chest, in the hollow right beneath his breast bone and the sages retreated, robes rippling. The dark skinned man became limp, blood flecking his chin. His head hung and the sages waited.

Link held his breath.

The Triforce of Power pulsed gold. Forcing its half dead wielder back into the realm of living. Ganondorf's eyelids snapped open, pupils shrinking into beastly pinheads. He snapped the chains binding him, grasped the hilt of the warlock blade and with his palm smoking, killed one of the sages. Examining the blade, teeth bared in glee, the dark King turned, his cape whirling majestically behind him. Smirking, he voluntarily walked into the realm he was destined to die in.

The Twilight realm.

"A few years after that, the invasion stared. Midna, who is the Princess of the Twilight realm, got her powers ripped off by her..." Link's expression twisted. "By this moron who tried to kill her later on. He led a coup against Princess Zeldy...She's the-"

"Zelda," the boat corrected wistfully. "I know, she is the princess of Hyrule."

The boy paused at the sudden interjection. "Yeah, Zelda...But she's dead," the King of Red Lions creaked, head jerking in horror, "although Midna says otherwise, apparently Zelda is living inside her or something." Brow creased, the child contemplated. "How does someone live in other people anyway?"

Outside the domed arches of the Tower of Gods, the last rays of the sunlight struggled, bouncing off water and lighting the dim, catacombic confines. "If you leave a legacy, you live on in other people's minds and memories."

Again, Link frowned. "Doesn't sound much like living to me," he retorted and peeled a tangerine, lobbing the segments of fruit in his mouth like an expert marksman. Silence descended on their conversation and the distant screech of seagulls slapped against alabaster pillars. "Aryll love seagulls," he explained and stood, ears cocked to hear the bird cries. "...Do you think, she'll remember me?"

The King of Red Lions arched an eyebrow. "Your sister? Of course, she knows the lengths you went to when you tried to rescue her. You struck an alliance with the Pirate's for Nayru's sake, that should convey the importance of the situation."

"No..." Link trailed off. "I mean Midna; do you think she'll remember me forever?" He squatted on the floor, sticky fingers finally cajoling the cap back into his hands. "I mean, I've helped her for a while but she says I'm a whiny brat and I'm a good for nothing but I really tried my best."

"It's the best that counts child." Daphnes quietly assured. "And yes, she will always respect and remember your efforts. Only heartless people will forget favors done to them."

At this, Link laughed. Buckling the sword and shield on his back, he gathered his supplies in a tiny bag and leapt off the boat. "Midna was pretty heartless," he tilted his head, "but that's because she lost everything. Doesn't excuse her personality though." Another bark of laughter echoed in the chamber. "How are you gonna follow me?" The King of Red Lions drew a blank, follow? "I mean, you are a boat, should I carry you inside?" Link pointed to the gold glint of a door. "But my arms will ache; can't you dissolve in my shadow like Midna?" Mind reeling from the rapid fire questions, the boat tossed his head at the Pirate's charm around Link's neck. "So I can communicate with this?" He sounded deeply unsatisfied. "Okay...then I'll contact you if I need anything, Daphnes."

The boy beamed brightly, stood straight with his chest puffed out and rotated, cap sailing in the night. He held a lantern and the bobbing circlet of light stopped at the door.

A group of yellow chuchus patrolled an area with a box, eyeing them warily, Link weighed the boomerang in his hand (the banana yellow weapon appeared crude compared to his ivory feathered one) and the weapon tore through the jelly masses. They squealed in unison and Link scooped them in a bottle, storing the oil away for later use. Studying the imprints on the boxes, he pushed it in front of a higher platform. A section of wall, craggy unlike the rest of the building, was framed by gold and he stared at it, waiting for Boaty to instruct him on what to do. When no such advice poured forth, he suspiciously peered some more and hopped to the upper landing. A chest, dark blue accented with silver, opened to reveal the dungeon map. Gulping, Link hopelessly stared at the diagram, breath catching in his chest. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he attempted to understand the plans laid on the rice white parchment.

Back tracking to the Red Lions, he jumped on the boat and the figurehead's eyes shone intently in the dark. Wordlessly, Link paddled to the next room, jumped off and imparting a curt, careless nod, sailed through a stone door leafed in gold.

He stopped dead. A sea of water lapped at his boots and wooden boxes, surfaces swollen into waterproof caskets, bobbed on the surface. Craning his neck, he found another stretch of wrinkled wall above a small ledge and pondered. The setup reminded him of the Lakebed Temple.

Bombs!

Face brightening at the sudden brainwave, he searched his bomb bag and the smile on his face turned upside down, no water bombs? That sucked. Sniffing disdainfully, he slung the bomb bag over his shoulder and carefully hopped on the first box. The container sunk under, dampening his boots with saltwater before surfacing and floating erratically. Biting his lip, Link paddled with his hands, propelling the unorthodox craft to the tiny ledge. Balancing precariously, he lit a bomb and placed it on the mini ledge before furiously propelling away from the blast radius. The blue bomb flashed red. A hazard. And Link hunkered, clapping palms over his ears. The detonation sprayed water, air and silvers of rock in his direction and wiping dust from his forehead, he stared forlornly at the empty space.

Spirits sinking, he surveyed the rest of the room, his reflection rippling on the cerulean water. The mini sea lapped hungrily against the walls, leaving a white outline of salt.

Back with the King of Red Lions, Link traced his scarred finger on the map and his stomach growled.

Time for dinner.

With the watercraft's preternatural eyes following his every move, Link raided the food boxes stored near the mini deckhouse. An impressive array of meat, cheese and bread, lay in the casks and he spied butter and biscuits, mouth watering at the wide selection. Thank Jabun for Link, may the gods and goddesses give him a long and fruitful life, he prayed.

Lifting a slice of smoked meat, Link eagerly sniffed it; again, his sharp sense of smell failed him. Smacking the slice between two thick slices of buttered bread, he munched, washing the morsels down with fruit juice. Burping after his meal, he adjusted his belt and resumed poring over the map, eyelids closing. Jolting awake, he rubbed his eyes, regarded the boat and shot to his feet.

The King of Red Lions sensed the boy's eager approach and turned, wooden neck creaking, the child thrust a convoluted map under his chin and grinned pleasantly, professing his illiteracy when tackling charts.

Daphnes stared; he searched the child's eyes, not knowing what he looked for. This boy belonged to this world. He is the chosen hero of the Great Seas. The Hero of Winds. "I'm surprised," the King of Red Lions remarked at long last, "I thought you could read maps, you certainly pinpointed Outset Island quickly enough."

The blond boy, cheeks ruddy in the gleaming torch light, smiled. "Of course." He smirked. "Home is where the heart is."

Gazing at the map, the King of Red Lions did not want to think about how the gesture reminded him of Hyrule's Link.

* * *

**A/N:** And here we see WW Link, still struggling in his natural habitat. For all of Midna's cruel snark, he actually misses her. As for the other Link, he's having it worse, missing Boaty so much its breaking his poor, beating heart. If any of you are missing someone, let them know. Even if they don't miss you; _let them know._

Please read and review, constructive criticism is very much appreciated and so are random remarks unrelated to nothing. I'm craving a milkshake though.

At : Thank you for your comment


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**Dreams of War**

The sun set completely and ebony blackness cloaked the watery tunnels of the Tower of Gods. Squinting at the map thrust beneath his square chin, the King of Red Lions silently studied the parchment for a few seconds before carefully turning to the clueless child next to him.

"We are here," he nodded to a giant, irregular open space. "The circles are the statues, meaning, the gold faces gushing water," Daphnes pointed to the humanoid masks. "You can use this open stretch of sea to navigate from one room to the other." He gestured to the different landing spaces, decorated by Doric pillars. "You visited this place, this one and now we are here," he repeated for Link's benefit and the boy nodded, clarity pervading his coal black irises. "Now we go to the next platform situated right over there." The King of Red Lions moved, prow shearing through the denim blue sea, they stopped at a huge landing of stone and Link's gaze immediately veered to the door, steel bars sealing the entrance. Gut churning, he sought guidance from the boat and traced its line of vision to two colorful, round indents in the ground. "There is a statue on one," Daphnes noted, "and the light changed color...they are switches."

"Very colorful," Link agreed and hopped of the boat, nearly missing the raised platform and plunging into the freezing sea. He scrutinized the statue in one indent and grinned when he saw another one. Dragging the stone sentinel on the adjacent indent, he jumped when the bars sealing the door shifted apart with an ear shattering noise.

The door opened to a wide podium and dropped to a giant, rectangular pit lined with boxes. Noting the platform on the other side, Link climbed down and arranged the erratic containers into a straight, evenly paced line. He climbed back up, at a loss for what to do and fisted the pirate's charm before seeing a lighted torch. A similar wire bracket remained dead on the opposite side. Dropping the cyan stone back into his pocket, he gingerly lifted a burning branch, the heat searing his face. Racing to the other side, the lighted the torch, grinning victoriously when a click resounded in the vast room along with a gushing torrent of water.

In minutes, the water drew level with the podium and the wooden boxes he arranged previously, stretched like a bopping pier to the opposite end. It led him to a chest.

The small chest awarded him with a key.

Confidence swelling in his chest, Link proudly returned to the King of Red Lions, showing off the silver key he attained _without anyone's help_. The boat praised him warmly and pointed to a series of tunnels on the map. Grabbing the oar, Link guided the lacquered watercraft through the catacombs filled with inky black sea and raised his lantern, observing smooth earthen walls interspersed by craggy patches. Nudging the boat closer, he brazenly lit a bomb in his hand and tossed the flashing explosion at the sealed tunnels.

The bomb exploded. Wild waves rocked the boat to the other side of the tunnel walls and both human and boat heard the unmistakable crunch of splintering wood. Immediately, Link crouched, sweeping his hands over the deck, searching for a breach. Sturgeon said that breaches were a small watercraft's greatest enemy. Finding none, he looked up and grinned triumphantly. Standing, he brushed rock dust off his cap and leaned, inspecting the new hole.

"That was dangerous," Daphnes chided, eyeing the child disapprovingly. "You cannot light a bomb in your hand and throw it; you could have blasted your arm off."

Smile dropping, Link protested, "But I didn't." He pointed to his intact arm. "And we have a new tunnel to explore."

"Yes," the boat acknowledged, "but it was dangerous, no doubt about that. The next time you want to crack open a tunnel, use the cannon, it's much safer. Not to mention you should keep well out of the blast radius, if I have a hole in my deck-"

"Which you don't," the child interrupted.

"...We will both drown." The King of Red Lions sighed. "I understand you are a better sailor, but it does not hurt to be extra careful."

Link, lips pressed into a thin, displeased line, reluctantly turned the boat into the newly opened tunnel. A ridge of rock barred entrance and relinquishing the oar, Link stripped, leaving only his tights on. He dived inside the tunnel and swam to a landing with a locked door.

Roughly drying himself, he jammed his cap back on and marveled at the staircase weaving out of thin air. Fumbling with the Pirate's charm, he spoke into the lit stone. "It's a staircase of rainbow lights," he breathlessly reported. "I wish you were here to see it Boaty." The King of Red Lions chuckled softly and praised him on a job well done. "Ahahaha," Link modestly laughed, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly, "but I only defeated four chuchu, that's easy, anyone could do it." At the top of the shimmering staircase of candy cotton pink and white, a pillar glowed. "There is another statue I must carry over," he informed, "it goes in the colorful tile place like before."

Letting the stone drop, Link hesitantly put his foot on the first stair of light, expecting it not to hold his weight, to his delight, the ethereal structure held. Excitement mounting, he raced up and down the staircase for a while, wondering what Midna would have said at such a breath taking structure. Once the initial enthusiasm dampened, he sobered and carried the pillar all the way down, dazzled when the stairs changed color and faded out of existence. Planting the statue in its place, he stood back to observe his handiwork and a quietude settled on his ears.

The gold plated statue faces stopped vomiting water.

Curious, he hopped back on the boat and rowed it closer; lantern light illuminated a lowering water level. The sea descended below the statue's open mouth and after a moment's contemplation, he grabbed his backpack and entered the tunnel mouth.

Water slicked stone proved a treacherous surface to traverse on and bracing himself against the damp and slimy wall, Link inched forward. The mossy tunnel ended with a flight of stairs and a metallic door.

The sheet of metal swung inward at his touch and he emerged into a humid, palatial hall. Platforms, edges lined in gold and silver, bit into the cement wall and went up and up. Blinking at the dizzying height, Link squared his shoulders and studied the room, eyes stopping at the beamos statues. He remembered the Temple of Time.

The Temple of Time.

Before he blacked out, he recalled a darkened room. And Midna goading him about something...she talked about the Darknut and how fearsome it was. Link remembered a circular chamber swathed in shadows and an armored thing with a spade-flat blade. He remembered the edge biting into his neck, into his nape. Crushing bone, pain.

Pain.

Excruciating pain before he blacked out and woke in the glorious realm of the Great Seas.

In Ordona Village, he relied on the villagers, but here, he was an adult. Grandma and Aryll depended on him.

Taking a deep breath, he dove for a statue near the corner. Ferrying statues to respective places in order to prove himself?

_I got this._

* * *

Ascending the platforms gave him a nauseous headache. Still, Link persisted. He found a coil of rope with a metallic claw attached at the end and he examined the...Device? (weapon?). The hook dug into stone crevices and he used it to steady himself. Each time he hopped across a chasm, his heart leapt to his mouth.

Blood roaring in his ears, he barely registered the intricate runes running along the platform's edges and instead, concentrated on hauling himself upward. The gold gilded stages eventually boosted him to an upper platform and wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow, Link flopped to the stage and tugged a bottle of water out of his sack. Drinking several gulps, he winced at the burn streaking his upper back, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and checked the area.

A yellow stone door, its center motif a pleasant shade of mauve, stood aside and when no enemies popped from the corners, Link dashed through the door and stumbled into the next room.

Clutching his throbbing toe, why did this Tower of Gods have to be so fancy with their pillar bases covered in gold? Link scrutinized the circular chamber. Stairs, leafed in bronze, led to an elevated stage and he grinned warily, it missed a statue. Starting from the…he checked his compass, south; he stalked clockwise and knocked the doors, sometimes poking his head in the ornamental vases wreathing each doorway. The glazed blue and white pottery often offered him arrows. Frowning, Link tossed the arrows in his bag, he did not have a bow...yet.

Nearing the eastern door, the boy crossed his fingers; hopefully he did not walk into a dead end room. To his utter delight, the door ground open, leaving a fine layer of orange sandstone.

A staircase of light shimmered into view and he held his breath, admiring the ribbons of lilac and fuchsia lighting up the corridor. Head held high, Link ascended the stairs, testing each step before hopping on the next one. At the top, a thick platform of light awaited for him and feeling rather gratified, he gingerly stepped on the solid colors. Meters beneath him, a concrete walkway snaked to a lower door and his stomach dropped at the pockets of black hole darkness peppering the floor. If, for some bizarre reason the light platform disappeared, he would never make it home again.

Worse still, no companion will be able to save him. Boaty did not have a handy hand hair like Midna.

A squat little statue needed ferrying. Grabbing the charcoal stone idol, he held hit above his head and listened as the King of Red Lions dictated the next destination. Boaty sounded a bit impatient and Link's confidence deflated. Maybe the boat secretly missed the other Link? A bubble or resentment forced unhappy tears to surface at the corner of Link's eyes.

_Brave Link,_ he recalled the Light Spirit in Faron Woods saying. And everyone in Ordona too, expected great things from the adult Link.

While he carried the statue, upper arm muscles burning, he envisioned the man, ice blue eyes and a body that withstood great injuries. Panting, Link placed the statue on the ground and stared at his tanned hands. He did not like this color, it reminded him too much of the perfect Link. Gritting teeth, he hefted the statue above his head and pounded down the corridor, searching for the subtle landmarks Daphnes so graciously referred to.

Link tried not to think about how light the statue will weigh in adult arms.

Sniffing, he tottered to the edge of the corridor and stopped short at a chasm separating him from a moving platform. The inky stretch of space prompted bile to rise in his mouth. More importantly, moving platforms? _Cool!_ Momentarily forgetting about the other Link, the boy leaned into the drop and watched the platform whizz back and forth, its pitted surface reflecting lantern flame. When the slab of stone refused to come any closer, Link despaired.

Fisting the Pirate's charm, he complained, "Daphnes, there is a moving platform in front of me that's not stopping next to where I stand. And I've got a statue, it's heavy," his voice wavered, "what should I do?"

"Jump?" the boat rhetorically replied. "What else can you do my boy? The Tower of Gods may be lacking in monsters because it is a sacred place, but by no means will it be an easy gauntlet to pass." Staring at the glowing stone in disbelief, Link opened and closed his mouth like a fish. _Jump?_ "I'm not crazy," the King of Red Lions answered the boy's unasked question. "Trust me, you will not fail. Place your belief in the Gods and complete the Tower. I have full faith in you."

Right_,_ Link poisonously thought, you have full faith in that other Link; he probably wouldn't even ask you about these silly things.

Wrapping his arms around the statue, Link lifted it and waddled to the edge of long and perilous fall.

_In fact, Link probably did everything by himself._

A capable hero, experienced in several types of combat. He could fight without weapons.

A tear stubbornly spilled over Link's lower eyelid.

_What was he compared to him? _

Screwing his eyes shut, he leapt when the platform stopped in midair. For a few seconds he hung, between the delicate balance of life and death. Breath stuck in his chest, his feet collided forcefully with the stage, knocking the air out of him.

Gulping, he shivered and moved to the middle, too rattled to enjoy the ride. He primly hopped off the next landing and re-entered the central, circular room. As his boot crossed the threshold, the statue suddenly pulsed with purple lines (maybe purple was evil after all) and wriggled out of his arms. It hopped up the steps, base thudding loudly.

Alarmed, Link quickly snatched the stone hanging around his neck and his voice pitched. "Boaty, the statue is moving on its own, should I smash it?" As he asked, Link thought of how to break the stone idol without the use of a hammer or his silver ball and chain.

"Are you in trouble?" the King of Red Lion's asked, worry bleeding into his voice.

"No...um, never mind, it planted itself in a hole and I think something is happening," Link explained.

Recovering from his initial shock, he curiously followed the path taken by the statue.

"There's a stone tablet coming out of the ground!" the boy yelled over the din of granite slabs scraping against each other. "There's something written on here...I can read it," Link informed and brushing pewter dust off the rock, he read, "The Hero of Winds, the chosen conductor of the WindWaker," he paused as the words sunk in, "weave thy baton to the scales impressed below..." Forehead scrunching and oily with perspiration, the child repeated the words. "The Hero of Winds, the chosen conductor of the WindWaker; weave thy baton to the scales impressed below." He silently contemplated the figures carved on the stone. Four diamonds strung in a row, their insides etched in nonsense symbols. "There is drawing here...I don't know what to do." Link's tone trembled. "I have the WindWaker with me," he extracted the slim, ivory baton from the mess inside his bag and ran his fingers across is smooth, cool surface. "It says I should weave...I don't know how to weave," Link lamely confided. "Grandma is an expert at weaving and knitting...come to think of it," he babbled, "she's teaching Aryll too."

The boat's lack of a response worried the boy and he held the stone tighter, its cerulean glow washing over his hands.

At long last, the nobleman's voice leaked through the charm. "Can you describe what's carved into those triangles?" Link attempted to fill Daphnes in on the details and the boat listened without a single interruption. "Well, I think that is enough, pull yourself together child, you are doing well." Voice cracking, Link quieted and wearily waited for further instructions; he worried his lower lip, wondering if he managed to convey the full details. "Hold the WindWaker-" Link gripped the stick, "-and follow my lead," the King of Red Lions commanded softly and the boy tensed, shoulders drawing inwards. "Move your baton to the left, bring it to the center, then to the right and back center again. Do it slowly, it should hum."

Knuckles and fingers white, Link thrust the baton to the left and it emitted a barely perceptible, sharp hum.

"No, not so fast, do it slowly, gently," Daphnes corrected. The blonde boy tried again, body relaxing when a smooth hum flowed. "Yes, remember the directions, they are important. Left, center, right and center." Grinning like he was presented with an extra-large bottle of Elixir soup, Link weaved a melody in the air, eyes closing at the melodious whistles. "Do you notice anything?" the boat prompted.

Link scowled thoughtfully. "No," he responded. This time, Daphnes directed him through the Wind's Requiem and became silent. Peeking at the still glowing stone, the child pressed, "What's going on? Can't I learn the Command Melody? Why isn't it working?" The Wind song was supposed to shift the air currents but the steady breeze inside the Tower of Gods did not change direction. "I'm...not the proper person for the WindWaker am I?" Link stared at the foreign stick in his hand. He played the command melody again, but nothing happened. The stone idols were supposed to come alive, but their eyes remained dormant.

Pitch black wells accusing. Judging.

And Link crumpled to the floor, the WindWaker dropping uselessly from his limp fingers.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Photine**

Link slapped Renado's letter in front of Telma and studied the woman; several studs glinted in her pointy ears and a hair band pulled her thick hair into a ponytail. Behind her, in a niche, candle light flickered off labels in crisp, fancy lettering. Tinted wine bottles guarded their secrets zealously.

"Renado says you found Ilia after the monsters attacked her," Link stated.

Telma refused to comment and ripped the cream colored envelop, scanning the words impressed on the parchment. Metal loops swung on her fringe, glinting and impatiently bunching his fingers into fists, Link waited for a response from the woman. While she contemplated, Link scanned the rest of the tavern, vigorously waving away a cloud of smoke puffed in his face. A helmed castle guard, sitting at one of the round tables and drowning shots, laughed raucously with an unkempt man. Glaring at the inept guard, Link whirled around, disgusted at the lack of discipline. Focusing his laser intense glare on the platter of meat displayed at the counter, he toyed with an apple from the basket and replaced it when Telma waved the letter.

The barwoman excused herself and disappeared through a double doors leading to the back room. A lonely melody screeched from the gramophone spinning in the corner. Slouching at the bar, Link wrinkled his nose at the string of herbs drying inside the room. He sneezed, fished a handkerchief from his back pocket and blew his nose vigorously. The smoky atmosphere, coupled with the stench of strong spirits and the aromatic undertone of wood, proved too much for him and he doubled over in a fit of sneezes, cursing under his breath. What happened to his sense of smell anyway?

It was too sharp.

She came back, a slip of paper folded between her ringed fingers. "Take this to the clinic next door," she instructed and handed the slip over. Eyebrows widening at the astronomical sum written at the bottom of the paper, Link turned to leave. "And tell the good doctor to pay up his dues or else," Telma threatened, cracking her knuckles and rapping them sharply on the wooden counter.

Half smiling, Link exited the establishment and the door banged shut behind him, muffling the soulless melody and drunken chatter. Neatly trimmed shrubs lined the back streets, flowers neglected and speckled with dust. Crates, planks rotted, piled on the sidewalks and bred vermin. Cats prowled these places, hissing and spitting, they regarded the human cautiously as Link skirted the bar and peered through several side roads before pinpointing the clinic.

Wedged next to the grimy storefront of a pawn shop, Link did a double take at the lacquered boat carving sitting against the glass. Lingering a second longer, he pushed aside the clinic doors, nose wrinkling at the oppressive smell of clove oil. Sniffing, he located a nurse and asked for the doctor.

The overworked girl directed him through a long wooden hall, her shoes clicking an odd rhythm. Link passed curtained rooms, ears pricking at the groans of misery. A shrill cry, coming from a child with dusky red cheeks, clawed his head and patting the baby on her russet head, he continued deeper into the labyrinthine layout of the clinic. Near the back, the sounds quieted and paintings of bygone physicians, hung on the walls. Sparing the oil paintings a glance, Link pulled a faded white curtain aside and a room unfolded before him.

A study containing a teakwood table, shelves and rows and rows of books.

A gnarled old man, round glasses sliding down a hooked nose, squinted at the new comer. Holding up the slip of paper, Link enquired if he was the doctor. "Why yes," the medical man hobbled off an oversized chair and pushed his glass up with a stained finger. "And that is..." He trailed off. "Do you need something?" the doctor asked.

The cloying smell of antiseptic and peppermint oil perfused the room and Link coughed into a fist. "There is a girl that came by the clinic, you treated her for a while," he rubbed his nose, "she suffers from memory loss, can you tell me how to get her memory back?"

Feathery strands of hair waving with each movement, the doctor laced his rheumatic fingers together and straightened. "I understand you have a problem, but this is beyond my..." Link raised the bar tab meaningfully and fluttered the paper. Lantern light illuminated the sum signed at the bottom and the old man paled, face assuming the same ashen quality as his hair. "L-look, I know Telma hired you to persuade me, but she will have to wait. As for the young lady..." He tottered off to his bookshelf and the adolescent followed, eyes fixed on the doctor's bent body. "Oh yes, she had a statue," the medical man whipped around and stepped back to see Link towering over and reaching for a leather bound tome. "Lad, what are you doing? I doubt you will understand those medical texts." Link froze and the doctor opened his book on the table. "Let's see, yes she had a statue, I spilled some medicine on it and left it out to dry, next thing I know, it's been stolen!" The old man threw his hands up in despair.

"What?" Link barked and the doctor stiffened, hands in the air. "How could you...be so irresponsible..." mumbling, Link ran his hand through is hair and massaged his temples. "Fine, can you tell me anything else?"

Recovering from his near heart attack when the young man glared at him, the doctor nervously adjusted his glasses and hobbled to a pile of boxes, he retrieved a brown glass bottle. "I spilled camphor oil, it has a very strong scent. He rotated and stopped speaking when no audience graced his study chamber. "..." Grumbling under his breath, he placed the oil at the very edge of a shelf and tottered back to his books.

Outside, Link breathed deeply and scowled. No good. He eyed the weeds choking between the cobblestones paving the road. Clenching his teeth, he prowled in front of the pawn shop, stopping every few minutes to stare at the boat carving behind the soiled shop window.

"Why do always do that?" the imp, trailing in his shadow, demanded. Stopping, Link raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "You rock on your heels, like you are trying to retain your balance." The human stopped wriggling his toes and planted both boots firmly on the ground. "Now that's better," the Twilli remarked and the adolescent stalked towards a tiny kitten sitting in the shade of a box. Squatting, he scooped the feline in his palm and after an initial squeak of protest; it snuggled. "_What_ are you doing?" Midna asked, hovering confusedly above the human's head.

Marble blue eyes half lidded at Link's ministrations, the kitten purred contentedly. "Cats and dogs have an acute sense of smell," he responded, tickling the kitten under its triangular chin and lips breaking into small smile. "I wonder if I can train this little one to..."

Midna floated higher, arms crossed incredulously over her chest. "Not going to happen," she pointed to the kitten. "That thing demands luxury, and the how are going to train it? The medicine smell trail is growing cold; you need to make it snappy. Don't forget we must gather the Twilight mirror shards."

Jaw clenched, Link slid the kitten off his palm. The feline stared at him accusingly, large blue eyes full of hurt. Mewling, it plopped right on top of Link's boot and purred. "I know I can't train it," he retorted sullenly and gently shook the kitten off. "What do you propose I do?"

"Turn into a wolf." Midna tossed the shadow crystal in her palm. "You will have a superb sense of smell, useful for tracking, oh I don't know," she snarked, "the camphor oil scent?"

Pain. Grimy Cobblestone. Skin tearing. Bone crackling...

Pain.

Breath rattling in his chest, Link hoarsely stated, "No." Giving the kitten one last scratch behind its pink ears, he stalked towards the pawnbroker's shop.

Hands clenching over the shadow crystal, Midna waited for the human to pause at the entrance and when he did, she threw the shadow crystal. The black spike cut through the air and the human's head whipped around, eyes narrowing at the pointy projectile. He jerked and the crystal clipped him across the temple, drawing a thin line of scarlet.

Link growled and picked the shadow crystal, mouth curled in distaste. "I said I won't turn into a..." Cutting him off in midsentence, the Twilli blitzed forward and rammed his hand against his head.

The shadow crystal sank and his pupils dilated.

Near the wooden box, the kitten mewed piteously and circled, drawing other cats into the alley. Unlike the younger boy, Link did not howl in pain when he transformed. Floating to the floor, Midna observed the transformation, apprehensive at the elongated sequence.

The human fought for control, low growls flaring from his mouth. Fingers scrabbled on the pavement, his skin ripped on the soiled stone. Fur sprouted and his nails lengthened into wicked claws. Lying tiredly on the floor, Link glared at Midna and for once, she did not smile. The glower promised a pain far beyond the realms of death and she shivered, cautiously moving away when he stood on all fours and shook his body. Ears flicking, he sniffed the air for strange smells.

Barking, Link tore down the sidewalk and crashed into a pile of boxes heaped at the street corner. The crates cracked, showering him with rubbish. Coffee grounds landed on his head. Stale pieces of bed fell on his back and rotten produce pooled around his paws. Stepping into a pulpy pumpkin, Link backtracked, lips pulled into a disgusted snarl. He redirected himself, sniffing the air for the camphor oil scent and tracked it, nose low to the ground or hungrily breathing the air.

He followed the invisible trail to Telma's bar. Nose stinging at the overpowering stench of alcohol and ammonia in the bushes, he traced the smell to the entrance and veered off course. The scent stopped at a white, plump cat eyeing him haughtily.

Louise?

"How are you doing Link?" the bar cat queried and the human morphed wolf gawped. He could understand cat.

Expression brightening, he asked, "I'm looking for a statue that stinks of camphor oil." Link howled softly. "Do you know anything about it?"

The snow white cat's whiskers and tail twitched. "Yes...I'm the one who took it. I wanted a new toy to play with."

"I'll buy you one when I turn back into a human," Link offered when Louise pawed the ground, digging the dirt packed between stones.

Sitting back pompously on her haunches, she regarded the human suspiciously. "The only thing you do is give me dry treats and sit at the bar, listening to drunken talk." Louise licked her chest fur. "Sometimes…I see you at the back." The cat drew to her full height. "But whatever, I'll remember your offer." She yawned. "I had the statue but those dogs took it." Her fur fluffed and Link wondered why cats and dogs fought with each other.

Come to think of it, humans were the worst of the lot.

"You will find the dogs near the southern gate; they pop up by the Goron hot spring water stall every night." Louise's whiskers quivered in rage. "I can't hunt properly because of them," her eyes turned into angry slits, "Make sure they don't come near my territory again and I'll get Telma to give you a discount the next time you visit."

Chuckling at the cat's offer, Link gazed at the sky where the sun slowly travelled overhead. Drained by the day's events, he slunk to the southern gate of Castle Town and the sun contorted his shadow into long, capering streams. Keeping to the back streets, he garnered a loyal following of cats, led by the blue eyed kitten he picked up earlier. The cats hardly talked, preferring to communicate in scathing one lines.

Ears flat on his head after hearing a particularly pelt peeling comment from a one-eyed cat; he squeezed through a small tunnel of mossy, damp bricks and bid farewell to the little kitten.

"Will you come back?" It mewed, high pitched voice echoing in the tunnel and pupils widening for maximum persuasiveness.

I'll come back and make you mine, Link silently vowed. He dropped to an unfrequented street. The stench of a nearby cesspool assaulted nose and eyes watering, he crawled to the southern gate, lying underneath the Goron's hot spring water stall.

Market street bustled, full of shoppers and hawkers, shouting and screaming. Freshly baked bread and toasted sesame seeds wafted from a brown paper bag. The aroma of bruised petals fused with the expensive, sandalwood tones of noblewoman's perfume. Head resting on forepaws, Link shut his eyes, resolving to get some rest.

The fragrance of sandalwood lingered in his nostrils, painting a picture of a floor carpeted in sheep wool. He stood in the doorway, left hand covered by a velvet glove and neck suffocated by his school shirt. Mother combed her hair and smiled.

And smiled.

And smiled while the sages tore his parents apart from him.

Beams of orange light washed the market place. As the sun set, the streets quieted. Shopkeepers accounted their sales and losses, quills and ink flashing over parchment. Stale food and bread were dropped in a rubbish cart and hauled away by uniformed porters. Boots and slippers thudded on the ground, each vibration chilling Link's spine. The market, no more a gaudy affair, stood stark naked, a skeleton of wooden stalls and colorful awnings desperately catching the dying sunlight. Stretching underneath the raised platform, Link crawled out, searched for any onlookers and trotted to the edge of the gate.

Paw pads rubbed raw by gravel, Link's shadow left him, swallowed the darkness. An irritating weight settled on his back and he recalled the first time he ventured into Ordona village as a wolf, Midna wore the Ordona shield as a mask. From there, he tumbled into the world of the Great Sea, learnt how to sail, taught himself how to read an entirely new language and experienced true freedom.

A silver half-moon drew dappled patches underneath trees and he waited, pupils alternately widening and shrinking. From the field beyond Castle Town's gates, a low howl resounded, raising the fur lying flat across Link's nape. Another howl joined, the sounds blending into a melodious tune. Ears cocked, Link listened, fur fluffing with each bark accompanying the original howl.

One, three, five...Six.

Six dogs, eyes glimmering in moonlight, emerged from the long grasses bordering the field, their nails scraped wood and the scratching gnawed on Link's bones. Red pupils materialized from deep black and the leading dog paused, lifting a wet nose and sniffing the air. Shoulders tensed, Link stepped forward to meet them and ivory canines flashed. Thunder in a black cave. The dogs regarded the newcomer suspiciously and fanned out on all sides, formation distorted due to the bridge railings. Covetous pinpricks snapped constantly to the cyan ring threaded through Link's ear and the dogs waited for a signal from their leader.

Attack.

Link read their intention in their faces and bodies. Stiffening, they attacked. The one to the back jumped a little too early and swiping to the side, he knocked into one, squashing the hound into the railing.

A piercing pain flared from Link's hind leg and turned to see the leader sinking its fangs, malicious delight conveyed in the drawn back lips. Following its lead, the rest of the dog scrambled for his back legs and Link snapped at them, snarling and howling as blood matted his long, blue-grey fur.

He sunk his teeth into a dog's nape and instantly pulled away when blood sprayed the roof of his mouth. _Disgusting_.

Midna, floating above the frothing mass, simply crossed her arms and watched the spectacle with a blank face. She seemed to suck the light from the moon. Tearing an ear off, Link pushed a hound off his head and pounced, ripping himself out from the claws and teeth pinning his back. Blood speckled the streets, shining cherry red.

Three dogs remained in the fray.

One died, bleeding out on the bridge, crimson seeping through the wooden boards and stiffening fur into spikes. Another two licked their wounds, urging the attacking comrades with vindictive barks. Muzzle scarred, Link lunged, jaws closing over the jugular. As he ripped the vein apart, the Twilli looked away, sniffing at the copper stench in the air.

The leader of the pack, a calculative beast by all standards, circled the fresh corpse and tackled the sacred wolf to the ground, pinning the great beast between thin forelegs. The two tussled, snapping and barking and ripping mouthfuls of fur.

Kicking the hound away, Link rose, only to be bowled back to the ground when the dog descended on him, clamping jaws over the wolf's throat. Gurgling loudly, Link struggled and Midna whipped her hair, tossing the dog away.

"We have to work together," she implored and he nodded after a second's hesitation. "Hmph, I'm happy to see you worked on your prudish attitude at least." She crash landed on his back and he glared angrily at her. "Some things don't change." She grinned. "Remember how we worked together to defeat those shadow creatures near the Forest Temple?" He growled in agreement. "It's the same setup; I used a bit of Twilight magic to get rid of them quickly."

_Magic_...The Twilight race dabbled in it, why didn't he notice it earlier?

Exhausted, he kept his eyes on the leader and the wounded dogs circled him like hungry sharks. On his back, Midna concentrated and he barked at her to hurry up. She patted his forehead firmly and her hand hair rose from her head, glowing orange.

"It seems like we have a problem," Midna confessed after he dodged a death lunge from a dog. "You can't use magic anymore."

* * *

Her confession threw him off guard and he barely registered the pain in his ribs when the leader barreled into him. _What do you mean?_ He hissed._ I can use magic; I used it across the Great Sea! The _WindWaker... Distraught, he suffered a slash across his cheek and doubled back, shaking blood from his eyes. _The WindWaker is a baton relying on magic, I can change air currents for Din's sake, what the heck is this nonsense?'_ He whirled around, teeth catching the edge of a torn ear and yanking it off the skull. The dog fell off the edge, pathetic yowls echoing across stone_. The first time...I...Forget it._ Link roughly shook the imp off his back and she retreated, glowering at him aggressively like it was somehow his fault.

Channeling his anger, he worked it off the lead dog, taking his time to strip the creature off its fur before finishing it off by snapping its spine. Shell shocked, he pawed the corpse, ears twisting at a dull clink on the bridge. Mechanically, he rolled the statue and studied the varnished carving. The little owl gleamed in bone white light and he remembered the spark in Shad's eyes.

The scholar mentioned something about the Hero of Time being associated with these statues? And a City in the sky? Long ago, when Shad visited Rusl's house, the he spoke about a city in the sky and a race of bird humans utilizing light magic, young Shad was promptly shut down by Rusl and warned not to talk freely about such matters.

Rolling the statue across a pool of dried dog blood, Link picked it between his teeth and crept towards Castle Town's gates, collapsing near the heavy doors.

_Turn me back into a human,_ he scowled at Midna. The demon floated, inspecting him critically from all angles. _Don't just stare at me demon, do something!_ He seethed, alarmed at her guarded expression.

She reached for his snout and quickly withdrew her hand when he snapped his jaws. "Easy there Doggy," she taunted and perched on his head. "Just wish to be human and the crystal will osmose out of your body." Link lifted a disbelieving eyebrow. _Wish?_ "The Master Sword allows you to turn back into a human, good thing you stole it." She laughed when Link lunged for her, blood encrusted claws slicing through the air. "But really," she stood on the ground, a good few meters away from the smoldering wolf, "you should be able to turn back, however, I sense this problem also concern's why you cannot use my magic any longer and why you and the child traded places."

The sacred wolf did not want to hear her conjecture; his brain bounced, throwing a million possibilities at once. All of them unpleasant. Why did he and the child swap? Why did the young boy see him as a reflection?

Why did he enjoy his stay in the Great Sea so much?

Don't think about it!

Why was he so reluctant to return to Hyrule?

"You are not the Hero of Twilight," Midna said, her words raking through him like a rusted saw. Blood roared in his ears. A tidal wave. A storm. Drowning him in a sea of misery and disbelief. "As crazy as it sounds, the Triforce at the back of your paw," she prodded his bleeding foot with a stick, "does not belong to you."

_It's the child's._

Her unspoken words danced in the upward tilt of her lips.

And Link knew what it felt like to hate.

* * *

**A/N:** The fight between the dogs and the wolf was inspired by the Warriors Series by Erin Hunter. I love it, feral cats fighting for territory, for honor, for their tribe.

WW Link feeling awfully inadequate against TP Link, this is a reminder not to compare yourself with anyone. We are all unique and such comparison only brings unhappiness.

Anyway, please read and review, constructive criticism is appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys this story, have a happy, chocolate filled day.

At Novirp13: Unfortunately, it seems despite coming back home, the poor Links find themselves in greater trouble than before. At James Birdsong: Thanks for your comment. At : I'm in the firm belief that a peaceful life can be led by liberal consumption of dark chocolate, the 70% cocoa kind.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**Dance at the Maker's feet**

Holding Ilia's wooden statue between his paws, Link protectively laid his head across the effigy and slept at the foot of the gate. Around midnight, the breeze whispering across Hyrule field transformed into a gale, blowing pollen and dust into his nose. Unable to sleep, he tracked the moon as it travelled across the sky. White circles bloomed in his eyes and he sighed, exhausted beyond the point of comprehension.

The sacred wolf never recalled such fatigue, not even when he escaped from Hyrule Castle with nothing but the clothes on his back, a tattered cape and a pregnant goat for company.

And the goat needed more attention than him.

He closed his eyes. Cyan and white flowered beneath his eyelids. Streaked across the inky waters of the sea. Beads of lapis tumbling in a jar. The dream marbled into an image of his home in Hyrule. The children sat around the table, grinning while Link puttered around the kitchen, wearing a sleeveless tunic and bare arms warmed by the fire flicking in the hearth. He read stories to them, taught them about fishing, about sword fighting and regaled stories about the knights guarding princess Zelda. On work days, he lay on a carpet of pine needles, eyes occasionally flicking to the goats grazing in the corrals as he tamed a falcon or shared small talk with Fado.

A frosty light heralded the appearance of the sun. Rising to his forepaws, Link yawned, pink tongue curling over his teeth. The air reeked of blood and black flies swarmed a couple of dog corpses, lying bloated across the bridge.

Away from him, the Twilli slept in a flower bush, her puffed, two toned abdomen rising and falling rhythmically. What was she doing sleeping in a thorny hole like that? And was she crazy? Padding to her, he prodded her viciously in her stomach and she shot up, saffron eye wide in fright. Launching to the air, she veered cleanly out of his reach and eyeballed him, expression guarded. Disgusted at the blood matting his fur into spiky points, Link rolled the wooden idol absentmindedly and arched his back.

The shadow crystal phased out of his forehead and the adolescent grinned lopsidedly.

Midna's stern expression melted and she carefully laid a clammy hand on his cheek. "For some reason, I came back." Link kicked a pebble with his boot and recoiled when it turned, revealing a cracked paw pad. "Eww..." He sniffed. "I couldn't visit Grandma," he said, voice thick with sadness. "Boaty said I could visit Outset _after_ I finish the Tower of Gods but...but...I can't use the WindWaker. I'm useless at everything." He bent to pick the owl statue up. "My neck hurts," he confessed and sneezed and the fetid smell hanging beneath his nose. "What happened here?" he asked and pointed to the wooden bridge littered with body parts and swelling corpses. "The last thing I remember is going down in the Darknut's chamber," Link pressed the tips of his trimmed fingers into the side of his aching neck, "the sword smashed here and everything went black."

Tossing the wooden effigy in his palm, the adolescent watched the open doors leading to Castle Town. Beyond the bulwarks, people stumbled from their quaint houses in a sleep induced haze. Bird song rent the air and their cacophonous chirps hammered in Link's skull.

"I woke up back home, on a boat, a _talking_ boat," Link clarified. "And I read a map and started for home," he stated proudly. "But Boaty said I can't visit... and I got stuck inside it. I'm not the Hero the Hero of Winds…"

Breaking off, he shivered in the dawn air. Tree leaves rustled and easing up from his shoulder, Midna tore a portal into the sky. Link stared vacantly at the vacuum of red and black ripples.

Wordlessly, he rammed the shadow crystal into his forehead and meekly touched on the dusty landscape of Kakariko Town. At the foot of the spring, he glimpsed the circular sanctuary.

Urging him to the Shaman's house, Midna gently tugged his ear. "You belong here," she explained and the human lowered his face, expression doubtful. "If not," the Twilli pressed, "why have you come back?" she asked.

Link raised an eyebrow, a scintilla of emotion flickering in his irises, something akin to profound enlightenment. "Isn't it obvious?" He pawed the loose gravel underneath his boot. "We are…I'm a plaything. It's convenient for the Goddesses to do what they want with me..." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "They do what they want with us." He tapped the Triforce. "It's like...replacing the damaged parts of a broken boat."

The male squatted on the sandy floor, ears momentarily cocking to the swell of voices spilling from inside the sanctuary, Midna joined her human, alarmed at the sage like wisdom bubbling from his lips. He traced a boat with his index finger and drew stick figures holding lines.

"This is a boat," he pointed to the boat drawn in dirt, "or ship...or whatever you wanna call it." He inhaled. "A vessel." Bewildered, the Twilli's attention snapped from the drawings on the earth and his strangely blank face. "So, this ship has a name...let's call it Zeldy," he grinned humorlessly and continued, "now Zeldy's a really nice ship and everyone loves her and she's doing fine on the high seas till she sustains damage, but its fine because Zeldy is a strong ship." He drew sharks and peahats and other ugly monsters all lunging for a proverbial piece of the Zeldy. "Anyway, she gets a lot of damage and one day, something major occurs to her...a breech." Link explained to the clueless Twilli what a breach was. "So now, the ship is taken to port and repaired with new logs...bit by bit, she is entirely replaced, the sail cloths, the wood making her up, her crew..." The boy sat flush on the earth, soil griming the bottom of his pants. "Now you tell me...can we still call this ship Zeldy?" he questioned.

"I don't understand." Midna impatiently pointed to the squiggles in the dust. "What does this have to do with you?" she demanded and crossed her tiny arms over her chest.

The blond blinked, disappointment leaking behind his glassy irises, his words made her uncomfortable. "I don't understand it either," Link admitted and stood, erasing the drawing with his boot. "But when I got back here, I just remembered the story Sturgeon used to tell me when I was little. It's like, the goddesses likes to swop us around when it's convenient for them. Because I'm not fit to save my home universe," Link's lips curled at the irony, "a stranger has to do it for me."

"Perhaps it should be as such." The Twilli sunk in Link's shadow when a small crowd of people exited on the bare, main street. "The Link of this realm turned into a wolf, but he could not transform back into a human. He was stuck." The news did little to lift the veil of despair resting on the human's face but nonetheless he smiled disarmingly and tried to hug Midna. She awarded his efforts by pinching him painfully on his cheek and directing him to the task at hand. "The idol, show it to your girlfriend." Link sputtered heatedly at Ilia's status as his girl-friend and entered the shadowy interior of the sanctuary.

Beaming at the sight of Gor Coron sleeping in a hammock suspended between two dusty oak beams, Link ignored the pale skinned Hylian laying in a bedroll on the floor and vaulted over the giant lump of rock snoring on the ground. Darbus' flat head peeked from beneath a brown sheet and previous worries forgotten at the sight of his adopted Grandpa, Link threw his upper body over the Goron's gangly one and the elder woke up, head crashing against Link's own.

Half an hour later, they sat around a round table and Link stuffed rock buns in his mouth. He reached for a slice of pumpkin pie and stopped on glimpsing Ilia working inside the kitchen. Extracting the owl statue from his tunic pocket, Link wondered how he went from searching for the Twilight Mirror pieces to restoring a girl's lost memory.

Excusing himself, he greeted Renado as the shaman returned, bearing a tray with glasses of cloudy lemonade. Resisting the urge to snag a glass, Link stepped into the warm kitchen and Ilia hesitantly smiled and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. The heavenly aroma of pie and burnt cinnamon sugar wafted from the oven and taking her hand, Link placed the blood speckled, wooden idol in her soft palms and stepped back as she examined it.

Time stretched for eternity. Ilia held her breath and studied the carving in her dusted hands. Bits and pieces of cruel reality flashed in her mind.

That day in Ordona spring, many months ago.

A goat herd, icy blue eyes listless, stood in front of her father's house. Mayor Bo's house; and talked about delivering a gift from Ordona to Hyrule Castle. He waved tanned arms wildly, protesting his role. Behind him stood a majestic horse and Ilia frowned; Link overworked Epona and she put down her half completed flower wreath and stood, bare feet balanced on the wooden porch. Link's eyes grew wide at her approach and he stood stiffly, a testament to his guilt. Admonishing both her father and him for their slovenly ways, she held Epona's reigns and ushered the horse into the Springs.

He arrived when she finished brushing the horse's coat. Link silently sat at the foot of the springs and watched, the boredom in his irises melting. He plucked a piece of grass and played it, the oddly comforting screams diffused in the crisp, fragrant air.

The wooden gate burst apart. She jumped and clawed for Colin. He jumped too.

How odd, Ilia thought as she faded. Link did not look afraid.

She woke in a wooden cage filled with many other people. However Ilia felt alone. Alone as the moon drifting between sheets of ominous clouds speeding across the dark sky. Goosebumps rose along her arms and she smoothed her tattered dress. Tears sprung to her eyes but Ilia refused to cry and instead curled into a ball and focused on conserving heat. The cage rattled and lulled her into a restless sleep.

A tear slid down her cheek and in the comforting warmth of the kitchen; Link flicked the drop of moisture away. "This..." Ilia raised the carving, "was given to me by the woman who saved me." An image of a face hammered by hardships and sadness surfaced in her head. Jars winked in candle light and she drew closer to Link, briefly brushing her fingertips against the crystal surface of the spice pots. "I know you," she said shyly. "The children too. You." She faltered and wrung her hands. Link eagerly waited for her to regain her memories so he could resume his Mirror shard hunt with Midna. "You were the goat herd in Ordona Village." The male stared at Ilia in disbelief and sneaked a glance at his shadow, outlined against the polished wooden counter. "I'm sorry if I can't recall anything else," she smiled ruefully, marble green eyes apologetic. "Would you care for some pie?"

Ilia's owl statue prompted a full debate back at the breakfast table. The wind outside blew dust devils and hopefully buried Malo's shop under a sand dune, Link prayed, and the rest of the occupants inside the Shaman's house heckled back and forth and the effigy passed from palm to palm. The hero ate, stuffing himself full of meat pie while Ilia smiled and heaped more on his plate.

The adults argued with Shad, the centerpiece of attention. In a corner, Link and Ilia sipped tall glasses of lemonade. "What do you like doing?" he asked and turned to her, she finished refilling Gor Coron's tumbler and rested her hands on her lap.

"I don't know..." She thought. "I think, I liked horses." Grinning widely, Link pulled out the horse's call form the layers between his tunic and pressed in her hands. "I made this?" she questioned and he nodded. "Oh...maybe I like making craf-"

"The Hidden Village!" Twin bellows forced Link to scramble up from up his chair, heart roaring loudly in his chest. The rest looked at him and Midna's ungodly sneer graced his head. "Sit down boy!" Gor Coron patted the chair. "I know where the statue came from," he announced proudly and Shad hurriedly poised with a quill pen over a blank book. Darbus rose, his rock muscles gleaming in the orange glow of the room, the patriarch bowed and excused himself. "As you know, the owl is a symbol for wisdom..." Gor Coron started

"It is?" Link whispered under his breath and Ilia stifled her giggles politely behind a palm.

"And it is also a symbol affiliating the Hylian Royal family with two other groups," Gor Coron related, missing the ashen quality of Shad's face. "First of all, this owl statue," he pointed to the effigy rooted in the middle of the round table, "is found plenty in the Temple of Time." Murmurs of agreement accompanied the sentence and Link nodded and stuffed another rock bun in his mouth. "Secondly, it speaks of a long lost tribe that used to guard the Hylian Royal Family. The Tribe of the Hidden Village, also known as the Sheikh tribe, was the personal guards of Princess Zelda," the elder informed amidst the sounds of Link pulverizing pie between his teeth. "However, they have cut off all connections with the main world and this is due to..." here, the Goron stopped and quelled Shad's lustful gaze with a stern glare. The scholar meekly dropped his quill and stuffed his notes into a leather satchel. "...A disagreement between the royal family and the tribe."

A loud burp signaled the end of Link's feasting but none took note.

"They practice magic and were thus exiled." A chair scraped the dilapidated floorboards and Renado rose, dreadlocks winking with colorful beads. "Link will be paying the Hidden Village a visit," he stated and all eyes swiveled to the hero.

* * *

Still a crack shot with the bow, Midna peered from her perch atop Link's head as he raised the hawkeye. An olive skinned body fell into the well with a low splash and sunk under water. Like Kakariko, the Hidden Village seemed neglected. Raised walkways reeked of abandon. The water wells tinged green with algae and plant scum. Eyes darting nervously, Link crawled from his hiding place and wiped dirt from his cheeks. He drained his water bottle and tossed it at his companion and she dodged it without looking.

A graveyard silence permeated the village and only the low, mournful hum of wind skipping over the mountain faces broke the monotony. Boots caked in dust, Link held his bow and advanced, Darbus told him the village chief, a vitriolic old woman named Impaz, lived at the outskirts of the village and may provide clues as to Ilia's mysterious savior.

"Why am I doing this?" Link complained and kicked a pebble; it skipped over a dirt road and vanished into an alley. Skipping after it, he squeezed into the narrow road and caught glimpses of a lost civilization.

Broken window panes offered him a candid snapshot of village life. In one house he saw a dead fireside; a low table held a teapot and neatly stacked cups. Another home revealed carpets and a loom. The rug on the floor, caught on a nail, depicted an eye and golden triangles. Forgetting the pebble, Link walked into the caved in remains of another house. Dust powdered a ravaged lounge. Quilted cushions scattered on the floor. Grime covered the fine china on display on a wooden shelf and he ran his fingers across a silver teapot, the streaked surface reflected a broken picture of sandy hair, a Twilli brooding at the entrance and pewter clouds rumbling on mountain peaks.

Letting the teapot fall on the floor, Link retraced his steps and emerged in the open. "Really," he pouted, "why am I chasing an old woman in the middle of nowhere?" He walked through the maze of streets and peered in a well. "I know Ilia's memory depends on it...but why can't I do it after I'm done searching for the mirror shards?"

Squinting at a map, the imp identified landmarks and tried to match them with the building stumps in front of her. "It's because the other you couldn't wait to cure his girlfriend," Midna stated and looked up, she scowled and floated away, finding Impaz's house became a herculean task. "And although finding the Twilight Mirror is important," she landed delicately on the rim of an ancient, stone fountain and searched the waterless structure critically, "we all need distractions for a while. Besides, that four-eyes is currently researching the myth of the owl statues and something called the City of the Sky." Midna stopped speaking when Link crept into the edge of her vision. He was swarmed with cats and kittens. Crouching, he communicated with the felines and each 'mew' passing his lips ignited a frenzy and the cats faithfully responded to his call. "Stop fooling around and help me find the old woman's house!" The Twilli snapped and the congregation of felines stared at her, eyes collectively blazing.

Losing interest in the tone toned imp and its puffy abdomen, the cats circled their new found scratching post and raked their claws all over Link's pants. The human shuddered and shook them off to no avail.

They prowled for an entire day, dehydrated and cranky; Link peeked into the water wells and snarled in disgust when none offered fresh water to drink. The maze like layout of the Hidden Village confused him and after trying to navigate for a while, he gave up and followed Midna.

She led him through a zigzag of roads, doubled back no fewer than ten times and demolished buildings to create new paths. The village sprawled into an intricate, spider-web like network and following the carnage left by the monsters, they slowly inched to the outskirts. The mountain faces loomed, casting orange grey shadows over the weary travellers and senses dulled, Link stared fascinatedly at an arrow sticking from the top of his foot before the pain set in. Gritting teeth angrily, he pointed his weapon at the bulblin standing rigidly on top of a watchtower. Aiming, Link pulled the drawstring back and the monster keeled over.

Twilli and human stared bewilderedly at each other. "What did you do?" Midna questioned and scanned the surroundings for other humans, she stood on Link's shadow for a quick getaway.

"Nothing?" Link answered uncertainly and lowered his bow. "It just dropped dead." The Twilli phased into his shadow and he spun around, eyes widened for potential dangers.

Breath catching in his chest, Link pitched forward and face planted on the floor when a staff whacked him on the back of his head. Sputtering, he clutched his head, curled into a ball and goggled at the diminutive old woman towering over him.

Impaz cut an impressive figure, even if she barely reached Link's chest height. A belt of navy blue beads wreathed her waist and the ends of her loose, brown robe glided above the dusty ground. "We don't welcome strangers here," the woman spoke in a fragile voice but she managed to strike fear in Link's heart. Muttering, he rubbed his head and stood and she tilted her chin defiantly, glaring at him with startlingly blood-red irises. "What do you want?" she demanded and whacked her staff for emphasis.

Link flinched. "I'm here because you saved my...girl-friend," he began and fumbled for the owl statue. "She told me you gave her this." Impaz glanced at the effigy, eyebrows drawn and suspicious. For a long moment, she said nothing and Link shifted impatiently. Wind howled and debris tumbled in the front road.

Without speaking, Impaz turned and hobbled to the only intact house in the village. At a loss for what to do, Link watched her go and hopped from one foot to the other. Dusk descended on the abandoned hamlet and the heat drowned with the sun. The oppressive chill nipping the air reminded him of the Gerudo Mesa.

"Are you going to stand there or do you want to come in?" Impaz indicated the open door. "Hurry lad; the monsters come out at night." Link shuffled towards the door, comforted by the slice of golden light bleeding from the interior. As he passed, she clapped a gnarled hand on his back and he froze. "No need to be so stand-offish," she scolded and pointed to worn sofas circling a fireplace in the middle of her living room. "I heard the dying screams of monsters and wondered if you were coming. Ilia, bless that young child, firmly believed that a friend of hers will save her." Link eased into a chair and warmed himself in front of a merrily crackling fire. The aroma of cinnamon wafted from the kitchen and he yawned. "She forgot to mention that you were a bearer of the Triforce."

Pausing with a butter biscuit halfway to his mouth, Link solemnly replaced the cookie on a plate and checked the back of his left hand. "Some believe it's a birth mark," he explained lamely as Impaz disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a steaming teapot. "Although I'm not so sure anymore, the shadow invasion has woke the nation up." The hero stopped speaking and desperately wracked his head for something intelligent. "Oh and Princess Zelda is..." he glimpsed his barely existent shadow, "incapacitated."

His statement drew a sharp inhale and Impaz splashed tea on the little table. Brown liquid soaked a lace tablecloth. She served Link a tiny stone cup and sank into a couch, her tiny form swallowed by cushion and material.

"The Hidden village was once called Old Kakariko." Impaz stared at the door, eyes misting to a time long forgotten. "And I was named after the founder of the Sheikha Tribe...A woman of mysterious origin, who swore allegiance to Princess Zelda at all costs." She laid a palm flat on her knee, a little ball of purple swirled in her hand and she closed her fist, condensing it into smoke. "We of the Sheikha tribe are proficient in magic, we are the self-imposed guardians of the princess and it all started with one remarkable woman." Impaz's head quivered, displaying a rare moment of weakness and her pointy ears vibrated. Suddenly, she sat ramrod straight and leaned forward, her eyes sharp. The fire roared and died, collapsing into ashes and glowing in the veined logs. "You pierced your ear," she said and Link shrugged, he hated his pierced earlobe. "It is a Sheikha tradition to pierce only one earlobe and it was started by Impa, the founder of this village." The old woman mumbled softly and stared into the ashy fireplace. "Let me tell you her story."

The tale continued long into the night and Link listened, enraptured. His tea grew cold between his hands but he did not remove his eyes from the little old woman commanding his attention.

Deep in the realm of Twilight, a figure stood from a throne of polished black glass.

A white scar throbbed. Sweat bloomed in dark patches. Staining an ebony vest into a color darker than night.

The Triforce of Power pulsed gold.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Beasts tell lies**

"Link...Link, it's alright, if you cannot do it, return, we will find a way to..." The King of Red Lions fought to keep panic out of his voice, the child refused to reply ever since he could not use the WindWaker and the watercraft worried greatly. "Don't worry, there is always a way to...are you listening?" The stone on deck glimmered feebly and winked. Dead. Staring disbelievingly at the Pirate's charm, the boat feebly tried to contact his passenger again. "Link..." he called to no avail and hung his head.

The creak of wet, dejected wood echoed in the cavernous space of the Tower.

Dropping the Pirate's charm, Link considered his surroundings. He stood before a slab of engraved granite. The Command Melody, the words stitched above, read and he clutched the WindWaker tighter between his fingers.

A small smile tugged at his face and without anyone to see him, he let the smile spread till it cut his face in half. The gold bases distorted his reflection and he grinned with free abandon. Back. Back into the world of sea and sharks and adrenalin pumping adventure. He returned to the bizarre realm of pirates and tiny islands. Of months floating across the sea with nothing but a talking boat for company. Dangers and storms proved to be a constant companion and no one knew him.

Absolutely no one.

Back into the world without responsibility.

The child laughed. Giggles morphed into an animalistic howl and he panted, supporting himself against a pillar. Here he was free to do what he wanted.

_What he wanted..._

He stared at the backs of unmarked hands. His stomach dropped.

A dry well of despair.

Pulling the Pirate's charm off his neck, he stuffed into his haphazard sack and circled the slab of stone. The Tower of Gods, assuming from the decor, reminded him painfully of the Temple of Time back home. But someone else assumed his responsibility, surely the other Link would look after the children and restore Ilia's memory right?

_Right?_

Pushing such thoughts out of his mind, Link stopped in front of the slate slab and raised the WindWaker. Midna's words constantly drummed the back of his mind. The Triforce was the child's.

The child's.

The boy's.

Somewhere along his life, the original wielder lost the right to carry it and it transferred to a young boy who proved himself.

Whatever, Link's irises dropped to the floor. He needed to complete the Tower first. Then, he will allow time for contemplation.

Learning the Command Melody opened a door to the west; clutching the WindWaker, Link vindictively eyed the pottery jars decorating the circular room and emerged on a golden sandstone platform. A multitude of bubbles, their skull faces wreathed in red flame, flapped in the cavernous space and he gave them a passing glance. A beam hung from the inky black recesses of the roof and using the grappling hook, he crossed the chasm. Link landed heavily on the either side and hopped when his little toe protested with a violent throb.

Absentmindedly massaging the appendage, he threatened an investigating bubble with a gust from the Deku Leaf and a shining switch winked to his left. A statue stood pompously on a raised pedestal of basalt and Link recalled the Command Melody. Raising the ivory baton, he guided the WindWaker to the required positions and a soothing tune flowed. Like the idols in the Temple of Time, the statue glimmered to life.

An oppressive weight settled on Link's temples and the edges of his vision caved in.

He pressed his pulsing temples furiously but the headache persisted in torturing him. Fumbling in his backpack, Link tossed and array of items, desperately searching for a potion to calm his rapidly fraying nerves. The bottle slipped in his sweaty fingers and crashed, splattering blue on his boot. Mouth open in shock, he searched again, cursing his childish strength. The dark mist in his eyes thickened into a cloud of charcoal fog and he lowered himself on the ground, no longer fighting the foreign presence invading his mind.

His vision changed. No longer grainy and black. And he stared at himself. A young boy, face pale and coated with sweat, hunched on the floor, one arm dangling in a sack. Willing himself to move, Link lifted one foot off the ground and jumped. Stone crashed on stone but the green clad child on the floor remained sitting.

_I am moving the statue with my mind..._The realization elicited no special feelings. It was something that must be done.

Quickly grasping the basics of moving the hunk of alabaster, the hero directed the statue to the glowing switch and a bridge of light weaved across the abyss. Wondering if the light was solid, Link attempted to detach his mind from the statue and easily enough, he returned to his body. An uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles cropped on his skin and ignoring it, he shouldered his bag and stood at the seam of the light bridge.

Sliding his sword out, he scored a thick line on the surface of the shimmering pathway and cocked his head, examining it from all angles. Odd, it did not have any supportive structures like the bridges in Hyrule and the material constructing the pathway was transparent, he could see right through the pink light and into the drop below. Placing one foot on the bridge, he tested his weight and when it held, scampered across without a second look backwards. At the door, he paused, frowned and whipped out his map.

_Wrong way,_ the compass and diagrams sneered. Glaring at the parchment, Link noted another door to the south of the statue and sighed. He retraced his steps over the bridge of light and stopped at the very edge. The light passages were convenient, he decided, they only needed the use of a switch to activate them. Unlike the cumbersome bridges of stone spanning across Hyrule (although Link often stood at the threshold and marveled at the architectural feats), these easily collapsible bridges could be deactivated with a weight and the routes automatically cut off.

Extremely handy when it came to disrupting an enemy's course or laying siege...

He landed in front of the southern door and a cyan, winking light bled through the thin, cotton exterior of his backpack. Opening it up, Link regarded the flashing Pirate's charm and solemnly covered it. He needed to think without distractions and the King of Red Lions could remain patient for a while longer.

Eager to see the withered boat again, the boy passed through the door without a second thought and froze at the eerie stillness blanketing a hexagonal chamber. Dim light shrouded the room and reflected off oddly placed columns rising up like stark naked trees. As Link bent to examine the ancient runes on the floor, he heard the distant scrape of a sword dragged across the ground. Seeing no imminent hostilities, he traced his fingers over the runes, struggled to read them and visited one pillar after the other, hoping to make sense of the history etched at their feet. The columns lead him into the center of the chamber, where the smooth floor gave way to broken bricks and shards of long forgotten pottery.

A bulky shape emerged and Link peered at the silent sentinel. The hero compared his tiny sword against the Darknut's wide blade and his irises narrowed.

Time to steal a new weapon.

The boy lunged like a snake poised to kill. The tip of the sword snagged in the leather straps crisscrossing the Darknut's waist and he slashed sideways, sawing through leather and springing back when the Darknut twirled its humongous sword. Steel flashed in the dismal light, Link ducked as the weapon whistled across his head and trimmed his unruly puff of golden hair.

He rolled backwards, touched the top of his head and brushed his hand free from blonde strands. The Darknut's sword thudded next to him and he maintained a respectable distance between him and the heavily armed monster.

What's going on?He thought and held the sword tighter. A Darknut _should_ _not_ be giving him problems.

Keeping the prowling knight in his sights, Link swung his sword, perplexed at the creeping sensation of wrongness weighing on his limbs. A pillar exploded into dust, clobbered by the Darknut's hoof and a piece of shrapnel rebounded from Link's temple, sending a dizzying pain dancing across his cranium. Hissing and shaking his head, he retreated warily, barely dodging a strike to his chest.

The Hero's tunic tore, the sword clanged out of his numbing hands and he instinctively tossed a bomb in the room to buy time.

A silver of skin peeked between the ragged tear in his tunic and Link breathed heavily; he was not used to this. Testing the sword on his palm, he groggily eyed the pearls of blood escaping the incision and shook the sword irritably. It felt too light. The air whooshed above his head and he rotated when the Darknut charged out of the billowing cloud of gunpowder smoke. Hooking his blade beneath the armor, Link grunted and pulled the breastplate off.

The Darknut spun, disorientated. Link grabbed the monster's heavy sword and tugged; unfortunately, the beast did not let go and instead, kicked the human in the abdomen.

The boy soared, cap flaring behind him and landed with a sickening crack against the facade of a pillar.

He wondered what happened. Surely he did not fly two meters through the air and land on a pillar? _Not_ _happening._ Link stubbornly pulled to his feet and massaged his lower back. It hurt like someone crashed a cannonball into it.

Partially swallowed by the gloom, the Darknut, missing its breastplate, pawed the ground and held its sword like a lance. Ready to charge. Closing his eyes, Link breathed deeply, trying to anchor himself back to the present.

Remember the training.

The reflexes.

The illegal scrolls he pored over in the dead of the night when no one was looking.

A devoted swords master inked the Hero of Time's preferred sword strikes. And Link learned them all, mooning over the pictures once he perfected the stances.

Silver cut through air. Time slowed. The blade dipped a fraction, missing the protective rim of the helmet and cutting into leather straps, slicing through thick hide and meeting bone. It resisted and Link grunted, willing, forcing, _pushing_ the blade deeper. The Darknut's sword careered closer; aiming for his heart.

Bone snapped and the little sword cut clean.

The Darknut crumpled, its gloved hand still wrapped around the heavy blade, its head rolled to a stop and Link clubbed it towards the kneeling body. He wrestled the blade from the monster's grasp and tested its weight, discarding it when the weapon unbalanced him. Out of breath, he tottered towards the magically appearing chest and opened the lid.

An appropriately sized Hero's bow lay at the bottom, covered in lengths of egg-shell silk. Lifting the bow, he pulled the drawstring experimentally and scowled. Midna's jibe rang in his head and Link ran his fingers across the curve of the bow. Anything used by the previous heroes' were coveted objects, this one included. The boy nocked an arrow, walked out the room and let it harpoon through the air, striking an eye switch. His fingers cramped. A platform materialized and whizzed across the open spaces. The movement excited the bubbles and they flapped collectively, veering for the tiny boy standing sourly on the southern platform. Raising his new found weapon, Link swiped them all, watching their skull bodies' drop with a sense of hollow detachment.

_They say justice is blind..._

Perched in front of a colossal, gold leaved pair of scales, Link barely made out a line of cracked walls underneath the carved dishes. The gurgle of sea water reached his ears and he grinned crookedly; those bomb arrows would come in hand here.

Smile vanishing, he stared at the scales and his distorted reflection smudged its glorious shine. The scales, bolted against the white wall of the tower, filled him with dread. The shapeless horror ballooned in his chest and popped. Leaving an empty cavity in its wake. What he did in Hyrule could not haunt him here. Here, he checked his small sword; he did not have the Master Sword. He did not have the Triforce of Power and he gained a gangly body which gave up on him in the most unexpected of times. Link wanted to jump on the scales, he needed to jump but a phantom force glued him to the platform above. If after all of this _(this?)_ he managed to return home...will he be made to stand trial for a crime he committed unwillingly?

Of course Zelda with her infinite wisdom will..._might_ forgive him but the imp said the princess was dead.

Link long forgot how it felt to be guilty.

He disguised the Master Sword and presented it to Rusl so Ordona could gift it in the upcoming Queen's coronation. The local blacksmith was aptly devastated but no one could deny the sword's godly craftsmanship. Link brushed questions aside and quickly bolted for the ranch when Rusl looked at him oddly.

Who dictated life?

Who chose him to be the Triforce bearer?

Stepping away from the brim, Link listened to the timeless ebb and flow of the waves below. The water slapped against the bricks and retreated. Although it did no damage, the tireless gnawing will eventually take its toll. In a century, a millennia, water will gush through bricks.

Eroding and decaying.

He lost the Triforce of Courage when he ran away. And a child inherited it. Link stretched, reaching for the mysterious top of the tower. He broke into a short run, jumped from the raised landing and tucked his legs in. The collision with metal jarred his bones and smacked him back to reality. Hooking his arms around the chains holding the golden dish, Link examined the cracked wall and lit a bomb, leaning over, he placed it against the wall and ducked to safety. Fist sized chunks of rock rained into the sea and dust settled to reveal a tunnel emptying into darkness. The boy glanced at the uneven scales and remembered the statues. The Tower of Gods resonated with the Temple of Time. They contained the essence of the long forgotten Hero. This place captured history. A small, humorless grin snaked across Link's mouth as he crawled into the rocky duct.

The tunnel led him to an empty room with an emblem in the middle. An image of wind embossed the circular plate of earth and Link played the Ballad of Gales. A chest materialized on the emblem and he rifled in the inside to extract a series of maps. Unfolding them, he squinted at the marked co-ordinates and thought of the charts he stole from Tetra's pirate ship; according to the King of Red Lions, they contained valuable information. Link did not have a chance to properly scrutinize them but what little he read, spun his mind.

Back in the atrium with the golden pair of scales, the boy checked his collection of small, armos like statues and threw them one by one. The balance clanged, spreading its cacophony throughout the tower. Each statue forced the scale to even but when the last stone idol crashed on the dish and it remained unbalanced, Link's eye twitched and he whipped out his map, grabbing the edges tightly and tearing it.

Exhaling, he studied the unvisited rooms and worked the vestiges of his anger on the local pottery. Link collected spare arrows, a couple of bombs and long forgotten potions. Giving the bottled contents a sniff and deeming them drinkable, he set off.

The Command Melody forced his consciousness into a statue and he seized a moment to stare at the boy heaped at the base of a totem pole.

Hair and cheeks streaked with dirt, his lean arms could not support his own weight for a more than ten minutes and it disgusted Link. Inwardly snorting, the stone statue moved from its place, collided on the ground and cracked slate tiles. It proceeded to drag across a stretch of ground and Link experimented, seeing how far he could exert his influence; a maximum range of roughly ten meters, before his consciousness painfully slammed back into his body.

He woke up with a jerk, the kind produced when he dreamt of falling from a great height. Heart thudding in his chest, the boy grabbed the stone statue, hefted it above his head and arms straining, traced a path back to the airy atrium.

* * *

A portal led to the upper floors of the Tower and Link slowly climbed the bronze steps leading into the shimmering elevator. A trio of statues surrounded the podium and the switches beneath them leaked pale green color into their hollow mouths and eyes. Boots planted firmly on the octagonal platform, Link glanced at the tall columns on either side and sucked in a deep breath. His hands trembled and trying to calm the turbulence in his gut, he stepped into the light.

The world opened in darkness and blade poised, Link frowned at his blue-black surroundings. He vaguely saw a shape etched in the wall and streams of light blinked to life and faded rapidly. Rotating, the boy searched for clues, mind churning like storm tossed waves. The Tower of Gods tested the potential bearer of the Triforce, Link's sword grip tightened till his knuckles strained against skin, and he will make sure to pass this test and reclaim what was once his. The room stayed quiet...no, not a graveyard silence, but an unsettling hum smothered the empty space. The walls pulsed with veins of cyan. Cyan…like the stone Link carried. Perhaps the guardian of the tower watched him, stalking around like a frightened brat.

Striding to the center of the room with confidence he did not feel, Link sheathed his sword, stood bolt upright and waited for the test to come to him.

The walls throbbed, lighting up from a center piece of what appeared to be an elaborate mask and two sets of hands. Resisting the urge to pry the mask out and examine it, Link stood still, desperate to make a good impression on whoever it was.

Time stretched. Immemorial.

"Chosen one..." the mask rumbled and Link snapped awake, hand automatically going for his blade. He relaxed when the voice echoed from the walls and the guardian peeled off. "You must accept this final challenge." Two gigantic hands and a gold plated mask hovered around the boy and he swallowed, shaking off the sensation of claustrophobia. "To find the secret buried in the deep, you must ring the bell and proclaim your right." Link vaulted backwards, glaring eyes swiveling to the middle of the stone palms and he repressed a smile. _Too easy._

Armed with the bow, Link fired two arrows in rapid succession. The steel tips glinted wickedly in the muted blue light of the room and unerringly pierced the palm eyeballs. Arrow shafts quivering, Link waited for the hands to drop but they only decreased in momentum. Muttering under his breath, he fired two more arrows and dodged a laser from the main face.

The stone palms floating in the air lost its unearthly glow and crumbled to the floor. Link raced to them. In the corner of his eye, he saw the main face drop and without hesitating switched sides. The mouth opened and after a moment's contemplation, he lobbed a bomb and dove for cover. The hazard flashed; red, blue and red, blue and detonated. The mask's golden crown dislodged and collapsed to the ground, spiky metal tips gouging the soft stone.

Walls pulsed and it rose again, casting a majestic shadow over the diminutive boy.

Head raised, Link waited for the verdict, his heart hammering. The calm perfusing his body moments ago vanished and he fumbled childishly with his hands.

_Did he pass?_

Gohdan studied the small, defiant figure standing in his shadow. The boy's pitch irises shone with a burning passion. A consuming desire. The bearers of the Triforce must possess untold courage and wisdom, this child was the perfect candidate yet, the guardian sensed a deep turmoil raging in the child's consciousness. The boy shifted conveying both patience and impatience. His eyes blazed, demanding, protesting and pleading all at once.

"Do you know what it means to be a hero?" Gohdan asked and the boy blinked, unprepared for such a question. "Tell me why you want the Triforce." The ancient voice rumbled, invoking fear and respect to those addressed.

Shoulders squared, Link stood taller and answered.

"Because it is my birthright."

* * *

**A/N:** Link sounds like one of those snotty, entitled people, _because it's my birthright_. Poor him. I like Impa, my favorite Impa is from Skyward Sword, I never finished the game, but her design was impressive. Ganondorf stirs at last, I wonder if there will ever be a game where we get a skinny Ganondorf instead of the hulking brute we are familiar with.

As you can all see, exercise is very important, you don't want your body giving up on you when you least expect it. Link speaks from experience.

Once again, please read and review, constructive criticism and advice are appreciated. Protein shakes to all those working out, keep rocking.

At Novirp13: Wind without his windwaker is just a little blood thirsty brat with agenda to save the world and take selfies with his arch nemesis.

At James: Once again, thanks for the comment


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Echo of inflicted Evil**

Two days passed since the last time Link contacted him and the King of Red Lions agitatedly paddled in the water. He imagined Link to be wasting away, in front of the stone tablet bearing the Command Melody or doing something worse in his despair. The boat did not know how the child operated but clearly he did not have the same expertise and drive as Hyrule's Link.

Sighing and with a weary creak of salt scoured planks, the craft sailed into yellow sunshine and continued till he could clearly see the top of the Tower of Gods. Alabaster white, the cylindrical domicile glimmered like an elaborate salt quarry. The sun reached its zenith and shone blindingly while to the far south; Cyclos unleashed its wrath on a poor, inhabited island.

A melodious peal shattered the seagull squawks and the red boat stopped, astonishment forcing him to squint at the top of the tower. Another peal vibrated through the air and nature stopped to listen.

The echoing sounds barely subsided when another gong resonated with the beat of his nonexistent heart. Everything froze in time, holding its breath and celebrating the birth of a new hero. The bell rings eventually petered into a serene silence but it continued to play endlessly in Daphnes' mind.

Long live the new Hero of Winds.

Long live Link. He prayed and urgently rowed back to the tunnel.

* * *

Gohdan eyed the boy critically. "Your answer is wrong," the guardian whispered but the words shattered Link.

His visage broke like a crushed tile and he gasped for air. Settling on the ground to steady himself, he pulled off the cap and balled it in his fists.

"The Triforce is no one's birthright, even if the same races are forced to bear it century after century. Humans are extremely pompous and funny creatures." Gohdan phased back and forth, cutting the balmy air inside the Tower's top floor. "You may be a descendent of one of the Heroes, but such expectation and grooming has turned you into a coward."

_I'm not!_

"I am not finished," Gohdan continued and Link slumped. "Why do you tirelessly seek and hone yourself?" The boy could not answer. "You hold fierce respect for your ancestor, but you constantly hide and try to please others. Your do things society deems to be inappropriate and you feel guilty. Why?"

Smoothing the cap in his lap, Link stared resentfully at the guardian. He was exposed. Naked.

Laid bare for a hunk of stone to see.

Stretched for the world to savor.

"The sages at Hyrule Castle prepared me for my destiny," he argued, "and...I hide because what I did is wrong. I don't think it's a very heroic quality to parade ones shortcomings."

"Of course not," the stone guardian agreed and Link gritted his teeth. "Theoretically speaking, you are under a tyrant's rule and you decide to revolt, is what you are doing correct?"

"Yes." The child nodded assuredly.

"Did you ever wonder why you and the child named Link transferred places?" Gohdan questioned, hovering to a stop.

Brushing a sweaty fringe away from his forehead, Link nodded. "The only explanation I can come up with...is that I'm not adequate."

The walls of the tower pulsed again and Gohdan stirred. "This tower is an accumulation of history and it is not built by human hands." At this, Link sat ramrod straight. "The height of the tower is constructed from experience of the previous Links; hence it is the ultimate hurdle. The Hero of Time split Time into three annals-"

"One where he failed, two where he succeeded," Link robotically interjected. "I come from the timeline where he fell into a foreign land, the name which escapes me. According to a reliable historian," he swallowed bitterly, "the Hero of Time…became _deranged_." Link stared at the wide open eye embedded in Gohdan's stone palm. "This timelines comes from his adult phase, where he refused to turn into a child. For this reason, his reincarnation became delayed and Ganondorf," the boy's lips twisted into an ugly pout, "woke early and forced the Royal Family to seal and flood the plain...It has been centuries...Entire races have been wiped out or changed."

The guardian floated back to its place. "Do you know what it means to be a hero?" he repeated his first query, "and why do you want the Triforce?" The wall swallowed Gohdan's form and Link wished to stay longer and converse. "You can answer these questions but you need to dig them from deep within your heart."

The veins of cyan branching from the guarding retracted one by one, fading into a uniform grey.

"Remember Link, heroes are not groomed. The Triforce chooses those who are courageous, therefore I implore you to find your lost courage. Do what is right and do not feel ashamed." The chamber dimmed. "You have not passed satisfactorily, but you must ring the bell, it is time for the Tower of the Gods to sink."

A huge curve of shining platinum seared Link's retinas when he climbed to the pinnacle of the tower. Already, the superstructure groaned, inching into the bewitching depths of the sea. Unable to resist the view from such a magnificent place, Link climbed the parapet. The golden sunshine and whistling winds failed to sweep his heart into a single piece and he gazed into the open sea, feeling hollow. Putting the telescope to his eye, he smiled sadly when the tiny, crimson speck of a boat floated on the ocean's waves and he turned to the bell.

Marching towards it purposefully, Link clung to the rope dangling underneath it and rung the bell. The resounding gong filled his head and body with a strange sound and after the third ring, he stepped into a teleporting portal and whisked back to the damp, staring place of the hurdle.

* * *

The boy landed on the deck with his characteristic, forceful thump of boots. "I can't feel anything," he confessed and the King of Red Lions turned, eyebrows raised in alarm.

"Paralysis?" The boat probed, inwardly relieved to see the return of his unpredictable, dangerous passenger. "But you can walk..."

Link unloaded his backpack and methodically rifled through it, sorting waste, items and perishables. He limped across the tiny deck and stacked the new sea charts in a waterproof chest. Loping back to the mast, he leaned against it, face tilted towards a cloudless sky.

"I can't feel anything here." He pointed to his chest. "Remember I complained about a stiff neck?" he asked and the figurehead nodded. "I saw my real reflection in the water moments before I woke up back home. In Hyrule." He paced. "I...wanted to come back here," Link said. "It makes me feel free, the constant need to survive, living on the sea with its tides and swells...and," the shadow on his face cut into a momentary smile, "I saw a little boat like you in a pawn shop." The grin disappeared. "I tried to crush my feelings but when I returned, in front of the Command Melody and you were worrying about me…I wanted to feel happy but I can't."

The boy sat in front of the figurehead, searching the dragon's wooden face for answers.

"I feel hollow...no," he shook his head, "I feel nothing...and Gohdan's words..._nothing_." Head hung low, he picked the grit between the deck planks. "Do you think I'm a coward?" Link abruptly asked, eyes reduced to searching pinheads and the King of Red Lions blinked, unsure of what to say. "I want the honest truth, you have always been frank with me," he pressed, "I want to hear from you...what do you think of me?"

"Right now," the boat faced the glare of sunshine sparkling off foamy waves, "you are the bravest person I know."

The child fell into silent contemplation. By late afternoon, he sat at the foot of a trunk, poring over sea charts and the confidential documents swiped from the Pirate's ship. Usually, Link's face lit up when he read, he grinned like an imp, however, his current expression remained downcast.

In the background, the ocean swallowed the Tower of Gods and bored of poring over old charts smelling like mint and pepper; Link watched the Tower sink. Rows of stone, _history_, he corrected himself, melted in the water and as the sun drew level with the horizon, the rays reflected off the magnificent curves of the platinum bell. Stomach twisting into apprehensive knots, Link scuttled to the boxes stacked neatly at the back of the boat and hunted for food. The next destination will take him underwater, to the old continent of Hyrule. Anticipation lost, he found bread, sliced cheese and ate without tasting anything.

A pair of painted eyes noted Link's every move. "You will be meeting someone important soon," the King of Red Lions informed and the boy cocked his head nonchalantly. "Are you curious as to who it might be?" The boat tried cajoling his listless companion and Link ponderously zoned on his sandwich, eyebrows drawn. He tossed a name and the watercraft smiled. "As perceptive as ever, although, this time you are wrong."

The first stars appeared on the teal sky like tiny white scars and brushing breadcrumbs off his chin, Link maneuvered the horizontal boom. A sheet of reflective water stretched as far as the eye could see and no evidence pointed to the existence of a Tower of Gods save for a marigold portal winking on the darkened waters. Slowly, the boy rowed the boat into a circle around the blossom like entrance. Light distorted his features and he gingerly touched the portal and pulled his hand back.

"Journeying to the bottom of the sea will be a novel experience for you," the boat exclaimed with forced enthusiasm and received a polite half smile for his efforts. "Don't be discouraged lad, the goddesses choose the bearer of the Triforce and here you are, forcing the Gods to choose you."

Gripping the boat tightly, Link jerked to the King of Red Lions. "What did you say?" he asked. The words uttered by the battered boat gave him a surge of hope. Smiling indulgently, the watercraft repeated his expression and Link stared at his hands.

_And here you are, forcing the Gods to choose you._

Standing straight, the hero grabbed an oar and nudged the boat into the center of the portal, his face impassive. The entrance expanded, a blinding halo lighting the sea like a ring of uncontrolled fire. Daphnes dropped gently and water swamped the boat, soaking Link's ankles, calves and thighs. Strangely, the sea was warm. The waterline climbed over his chest, brushed against his mouth and Link breathed deeply, imagining water constricting his lungs and leaving him breathless.

An image of lashing rain and an unappeasable storm swirled behind shut eyelids and a prompting from his boat forced him to open his eyes and inhale sharply. The underwater world folded out before him. A few meters inside the water and moonlight dimmed, relinquishing its light in favor of darkness. Threads of silver pierced through, illuminating schools of darting fish and forests of seaweed. A carpet of spongy and colorful things sat on the ruins of what appeared to be stone walls and Link fumbled for his telescope, lips curving downwards when the surroundings failed to clarify. A long, snake-like creature darted around the boat and he pointed his sword at it. The eel regarded the human with lamp-like eyes and corkscrewed into the murky water.

Wordlessly, the King of Red Lions descended.

Deep beneath the ocean, the landscape morphed into a time preserved grey. An inexplicable emotion balled in the pit of Link's throat and forced itself upwards. Instead of elation, he swallowed nausea and observed plains and high hills crawling into view. Bleached turrets poised regally above the main body of a sprawling palace and his fingers dug into the wood of the mast. Breathless, he tore his eyes away from the preserved remains of Hyrule Castle and searched in the inky environment. No fish, no sea life dared to come close to the foreign land rooted at the bottom of the ocean and even seaweed refused to root on the once glorified land.

The boat steadily voyaged downwards and did not speak, preferring to stare wistfully at the tiles and pewter rock conspiring to form the palace. Fingers fastened on the hilt of his sword; Link resolutely practiced his sets and mentally compared the old castle with the one he was familiar with.

While he trained for his destiny, he was often required to serve alongside the castle staff and the knowledge of secret tunnels and unfrequented shortcuts helped him greatly when he visited the underground crypt.

Bumping to a gentle stop, the King of Red Lions gazed at the majestic gates barring the castle grounds. Beyond it, the land carved into a valley and celebrated engineers constructed a bridge leading from the iron wrought gates into the castle courtyard. The entrance swung soundlessly open and the boat glided through, head fuzzy. It has been more than a few centuries since he last set eyes on his beloved castle. Time eroded all sentiments and any hope for finding a new wielder for the Triforce of Courage but in the end, persistent patience eventually yielded results.

Onboard, Link sheathed his sword. Cold and heat held no meaning in this grey realm but anxiety bloomed wet patches on his chest and armpits. Calming after his sword practice, he focused on the drab scenery. Blades of grass did not ripple and trees remained static. The boat halted and a short stone staircase invited Link into the foreboding bowels of the long forgotten castle.

"I'm going inside," the boy announced and half twisted to smile at his companion. "I'm going in there to meet this important person you are talking about," he rolled his eyes, "and to find out what it means to be a hero. I'll find answers and they will change me...perhaps I will know the true meaning of what it means to be a bearer of the Triforce."

Daphnes nodded encouragingly and added, "Time is preserved here and you are the key which holds it together. You must find a sacred artifact slumbering within the Castle and resume the flow of time." Link checked his supplies, refilled potion bottles and frowned when he held up an empty, linen swathed mason jar. "Ah yes, your poison, the young Link thought it was a beverage and tried to drink it." Horrified, Link placed the dregs of liquid conium back into the sack. "Don't worry, he never managed to swallow anything but his energy is frankly...tiring." A spell of solemn silence wedged between the two. "My boy, I wish you all the best inside the castle, you will be tested of course and I am fully confident you will not need my help. Leave the Pirate's charm behind and go forth without regrets and second guesses." For a person who normally kicked the gossip stone around, Link reluctantly placed it his tin cup and stowed it safely in the deckhouse. "Our parting won't be long I hope."

"I hope," Link echoed and hopped overboard.

He passed a pathway framed by stone palisades and entered through an arched doorway. In Hyrule, the doors opened to a melodious fanfare and visitors were greeted inside a gigantic foyer before being whisked away to meet Princess Zelda. Here, no such fanfare burst forth and stark alone, Link walked into the massive vestibule, boots echoing eerily against time stopped tiles. A series of grand staircases lead to the upper floors of the castle and in the middle, his breath caught in his chest, stood a larger than life statue of the Hero of Time.

Vision tunneling, Link marched to the statue. The base, bearing a silver plaque listing the Hero's deeds, towered well above him. Circling the marble podium, the boy fumbled for his pictograph and frenziedly snapped pictures; he discarded blurred shots and meticulously captured each and every angle.

Standing on tip toes, he placed the pictobox on top of the platform and hauled himself up. Monsters swarmed the castle. Sentinels of evil. Ganondorf's reach penetrated the sacred palace of light however; they stopped in their marches and froze into stone husks. Counting more than a dozen Darknuts, moblins and lesser bulblin, Link shimmied up the statue, grazing his palms against the stone bust. Balancing precariously on the Hero of Time's elbows, he slung his arms around the effigy's neck. Behind the statue, his eyes laid on an incomplete puzzle on the ground and he mentally sorted the triangular pieces.

Only the Triforce of Power remained in its correct position whilst Wisdom and Courage were scattered carelessly. Attention pulled back to the ring of grey piercing a stone ear, Link smiled and shifted back to view the statue, his hand brushed against a stone cheek and hovered in front of a sculpted nose.

Mother did say we had the same nose_..._he thought and smirked.

"I wish I could meet you," he spoke but the statue's eyes remained distant, pointed slightly above Link's head of blonde hair. "It would've been a great honor to be trained by you..." Link trailed off, feeling foolish for prattling to stone. "You are courageous, eight years old and you set out into the world, accused of murdering the Deku Tree and yet that did not stop you from anything. I thought...I might be able to live up to your name but all I did was make a fool out of myself." The castle's silent walls bore testimony to his words and Link lowered himself in the crook of the Hero bust's elbow. "Did you ever dare hope to have a descendent wielding the Triforce of Courage?" Link asked. "I suppose not, you don't even know I exist."

A gust of air blew through the glassless windows and skipped over the statue's head. Shooting up, Link surveyed for signs of enemies but found none. Skeptical, he craned his neck, the wind should not be blowing...there were no breezes at all.

Dubious, he resumed his position in the elbow crook and stared at the statue's face. "They didn't make you handsome enough," he quipped and raised his pictobox. Hesitating, he lowered the device, took one long, last look at his ancestor and climbed down.

A thorough search of the castle revealed no hidden passages or traps. The upper balustrades connected to a library, shelves lined with petrified books; rooms used for official work; a gigantic ballroom with smashed chandeliers and living quarters.

The ground floor held niches displaying proud suits of armor and long forgotten paintings. Lips twisting at a particularly grotesque one, Link scurried back to the puzzle sight. The Triforce shard of Wisdom could be maneuvered into place easy enough but the triangular piece of courage...

The boy cracked his knuckles. Time for work.

While he matched the pieces together, he thought; eyes often pulling to the source of inspiration casting a long shadow over him. Despite being buried beneath the sea, the Hyrule palace of old shone with its own, magical light. Dredging up bits of history inside his head, Link finally concluded that this castle must be the original one, from where the Hero of Time went on his missions. It was remodeled and maintained dutifully till the fateful day when the King ordered the realm to be sealed and prayed for a flooding.

Ganondorf's reign of terror penetrated far and wide and no hero rose to the task of keeping the balance of power in check.

A spark of thrill flared and died in Link's chest and as he painstakingly pushed the dense triangle of stone back into its proper formation. The boy panted and moved when the pieces lit up with a piercing glow of gold. The light reverberated and he turned when the scrape of stone sounded behind him.

The Hero of Time shifted, its stone base grating over the earth and revealing a basement below. Trotting to the space, Link gazed at the series of small steps leading into the basement.

A musty waft of air caressed his face.

Something called him. It tugged his heart and he vehemently resisted the sirenic call. The sensation was familiar and bewitching. Giving in, he dazedly entered the crypt. Lowering one step at a time.

Inside the sacred chamber and guarded by sages crystalized in stained glass, the Master Sword pulsed.

Begging.

Begging to be released.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Ruler of skies**

An intricately carved armlet of iron...

Examining the outdated piece of jewelry critically, Link placed it on the round dining table, candle light flickered. Dawn pierced through the drapes hanging over the wooden window shutters of the sanctuary and to his disappointment, Grandpa Coron left for his rocky cave in Death Mountain. Opposite Link, Shad pushed gold framed spectacles up his nose and cast furtive glances at the hero. If the scholar wanted Link's expert opinion, poor him. Head resting on a folded arm, Link yawed and waited for the clatter in the kitchen signifying Ilia's presence.

But still, an old armlet? Did she really treasure this piece of junk?

Rolling the circle under his palm, Link recalled his treasures. An old felt boat sewed by Grandma and Aryll. Birthday scarves, too old and frayed to be worn. A collection of island bugs he proudly stuck on a thin slat of wood and stowed it in the communal wardrobe much to Aryll's horror. He also had a silver mirror presented to him by his parents, this he kept under layers of socks and underwear and did not show to Aryll or Grandma.

It was a piece of his parents. The gift served as his only link to long dead people and he jealously guarded it.

Glasses clinked and wide awake, Malo emerged from a shared bedroom. The child, already clothed in his potato brown sack (doesn't he get tired of wearing it?) shuffled to the table and greeted Link with a smile. Slightly wary of his genial personality, Link grinned back and resumed staring at the armlet. Malo hopped on a chair and placed an accounting book on the table, its walnut cover free from dust. Grabbing a pen from Shad's collection, the midget tallied his sales, chubby fingers flying on a colorful abacus.

Sounds emanated from the kitchen and bedroom collectively and Link eased from his chair; after he pieced the Mirror of Twilight together, he _will_ find a way home, he vowed.

Still angry for not being able to visit his family during his short stint on the Great Sea, he moodily dragged his legs into the fire warmed kitchen and greedily inhaled the tantalizing aroma of boiling milk and freshly baking bread. Sensing him, Ilia dusted her hands free of flour and smiled.

"You are back," she said slowly and folded her hands in her lap. "How was the trip to the...Hidden village?"

A window cut into the side of the kitchen wall, overlooked the passage and allowed an outlet for smoke. A cute button nose and a pair of inquisitive eyes perched low on the window and Link disregarded Beth's wondrous stare in favor of pressing the armlet in Ilia's hands.

"Impaz...the old woman who rescued you, said this was yours." He stepped back as she turned the object over in her hands, her eyes tearing. "She also said you were very brave and-" Link froze when Ilia wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tenderly. At the window, the children looked on with undisguised glee and Beth blushed, pulling them aside one by one. Undeterred, Talo hooked his hands on sill till she forcibly pried him away. "Uh...Are you okay?" Link awkwardly patted her warm back and after hesitating, enveloped her in a hug. Ilia's quiet sobs dampened the front of his tunic and he held her head close to his chest. "It's okay to cry," he muttered softly and his fingers played with her hair, stroking her head gently. Link rocked back and forth and Ilia's muffled cries abated and turned to hiccups. She smiled radiantly and flushed.

"How romantic!" Midna crowed in his head and he inwardly sighed. For once, he wished she could shut up and leave him in peace. But miracles don't happen. "I think I hear wedding bells ringing..." the imp continued teasing and growing rigid, Link held Ilia at arm's length, his face pale.

Midna shouldn't think that!

Ilia checked the baking loaves of bread and caressed the armlet in her hands. "I remember," she began quietly, "you are Link, and you played with the children a lot. Helping Talo with his sword practice and fishing with Colin. Listening to Beth...you were very kind."

Blinking, Link failed to hear her words and groped in the confines of his infantile brain, weighing excuses and mentally running a simulator with Midna.

"You worked in Fado's ranch," the girl continued, oblivious to the latter's abstract struggle. "My father placed great trust in you and so did everyone in the village...I recall the time you arrived at Ordona, Rusl hauled you in, you were really skinny and you were carrying something in your arms." Ilia raised her face and noted a scar spiraling down Link's throat and into his tunic. "You had your arms around a goat and your eyes were like a wolf's..."

"No..." Link massaged his temples, face growing hot; seeing him blush, Ilia squeezed her hands around his arm and beamed.

"I thought you were really awesome," she gently gushed. "And because of that...here." She presented the armlet to him and Link inhaled sharply. "This was a present from my father to my mother," the band of iron glimmered in the oven's crackling flames, "and she gave it to me." Link mechanically took the armlet. "I will give it to you because you...you are special to me."

"A proposal!" The Twilli piped and Link back pedaled, face flaming. He clutched the iron armlet till the intricate carvings impressed leaves and flowers in his palm. "Isn't this nice? And she cooks really well, perfect for you and your gluttonous tendencies."

_No, no,_ _no!_ Link smiled tightly, facial muscles aching. _It's not like that. I don't even like her!_

"Thank you for this." He cheated Ilia; he was not the person she thought. "But, you should give this to me at a later time." He slipped the piece of jewelry through her arm. "It looks prettier on you than me. When all of this is over...when everyone is back home and Ordona is free from danger...please give that to me again." The girl's bottle green irises rested heavily on Link's face and unable to hold her determined stare, he looked at his scuffed boots. "I'm sorry," Link blurted and plodded out of the kitchen.

Finally, Midna stopped teasing.

Tired, he slumped at the table and tried to snatch a nap before Renado or the children disturbed him. Barely five seconds later, someone shook him and he bolted upright, head smashing against Shad's chin. The scholar's glasses flew off and they both dourly stared at the spectacles winking in the half light of the candles.

"I managed to crack the code old boy!" Shad, denim blue eyes glinting victoriously announced. "Come with me," he dragged Link into the basement.

Dizzy, he wordlessly followed the scholar and saw Talo raising his thumb and grinning like a monkey. Flushing, Link shook Shad's vise grip off him and climbed down to a cellar filled with cobwebs and carpeted with a two inch layer of dust. Wrinkling his nose, the adolescent meekly tailed the scholar, barely listening to passionate ramblings as he wondered if Midna still believed the entire spectacle about him and Ilia. Surely she knew he did not like her? And Agitha…was just a friend. _A friend!_ He stressed wordlessly and hoped the message penetrated through the imp's objectively thick skull.

"And that's the sky cannon over there..." Shad's voice floated uselessly over Link's head and he focused on a small dagger slung on the man's waist. Looks fancy, he concluded and sneezed. "Ooccoo..."

Those human faced birds? Right, the hero sniggered, all pure blood Hylian were descendants of those freaks...so that means Shad must be related to them. Giggling, Link thought about the Twilight race...where did they come from? He vaguely recalled Midna giving him a history lesson but why pay attention to cranky old tales when he could fish?

"And this is the owl statue I've been telling you about." Shad stopped speaking and turned to see Link poking a dead spider. "Is everything alright old boy?" he asked and pushed a new pair of glasses up his nose. "The trip to the Hidden village gave you the Dominion Rod and the Sky Book, most marvelous artifacts, and these allowed me to decipher the real meaning of the statues!" Shad related breathlessly and waited for a reaction from Link, normally the goat herd soaked each and every piece of information like a sponge. "And...well, the Sky Book is incomplete, it is missing crucial information on the whereabouts of the Sky City but I wonder if I could use some magic to animate the statue and..."

Link yawned loudly, drowning the scholar's never ending, intellectual chatter.

Shad fumbled with the dagger and the Sky Book, he muttered to himself but behind his round spectacles, his eyes calmed knowingly. Shrinking into a corner, Link observed the older man run a slender index finger over lines of gibberish. Shad's chanting resonated from deep within his stomach and magic imbued words poured from his mouth. Lines of golden light pulsed against the owl statue and the scholar desperately wished for it to respond.

Alas, his incantations came to an end and exhausted, he slumped forward, teeth gritted in disappointment. He rotated to Link brandishing the Dominion Rod. The previously inert staff glowed with a magical ball of energy and lit up the young male's sun kissed features with a sickly glow. Shad reverently touched the stone staff and Link offered it to him.

Holding the weighty rod, the scholar somberly passed it back. "The magic came back," he uttered, words a respectful whisper. Half twisting, he scrutinized the statue. "You should visit the owl idols and pay homage. In the times of old, magic was plentiful and maybe...they can pave the way to the mysterious Sky City." Shad strapped the dagger back on his waist. "The Ooccoo are an ancient and advanced race, they married magic and technology and lived in the skies since ancient times. Normally their city is hidden from view by a barrier but old boy, if anyone can get in there...you would be the man." Running grimy fingers through his shock of caramel hair, Shad placed a reassuring hand on Link's shoulder. "You will find a piece of Twilight Mirror there and I am sure they are waiting to meet the Hero of Twilight."

* * *

Lush green fields and fragrant pines made a preferred camping ground than the alternating chill and blazing heat of the Gerudo desert. Dusk called animals home and right above Link's head, a flock of birds roosted and twittered, regarding the new stranger warily. In the light of orange-red twilight, the adolescent craned his neck to an owl statue perched above a rocky cliff face. The wooden carving stared haughtily down at him and walking a few paces backwards, Link raised the Dominion Rod and aimed carefully. An acid-green ball cut through the air, but before it reached the center of the statue, the energy orb flew back and he stomped on the ground childishly.

Darkness brushed over treetops and failing for the umpteenth time, he trudged back to the camping site, warmed by a fire pit surrounded with stones. Midna lazed on a felled tree branch and Link's lips twisted when a fat, white worm crawled from the hollow and painstakingly inched for the two toned imp. Suppressing a grin, he gathered the tent pegs and hammered them deep into the ground.

Did Midna help?

_No._

Hope that worm nibbles on you, Link poisonously prayed.

"This is the fifth statue so that means we have one more before heading back to Kakariko Village and showing them to four eyes," Midna commented and lowered the map from her face; she missed the presence of her human. Shooting up from the dead log, she arched an eyebrow at a fat white worm and used her hand her to squash it. "Nasty things," the imp quipped.

An easterly wind rustled the trees and she hopped to the nearest birch pine, settling in its branches. Down below, clearing sand from a flat bench of stone, Link set his lantern down, lit it and titled his face towards the stars. Instead of disturbing him, the Twilli contented to watch. He dipped a paintbrush in an inkwell and drew two curves on the off white sheet of paper. The adolescent dutifully copied the owl statue's contours and filled in the little details. Two owlish eyes stood on opposite places and Link's paintbrush skewed in a sharp V, a beak. Sketching long into the night, Midna left the human penning a new letter to his grandmother and sister and floated back to the tent for a well-deserved sleep.

The next day they set out under the mid-day glare of the sun, Link roused late, rubbed dark circles beneath his eyes and rammed the shadow crystal in his head. They found the sixth owl statue and wrote the letter hidden underneath it in the Sky Book.

While the sacred wolf splashed in a large puddle of water, the remains of an angry squall, Midna critically analyzed the book, dubious about its use. Surely this book, with cryptic letters, could not point to an advanced civilization floating hundreds of meters in the sky? Glaring at the cloud streaked heaven; she summoned Link and headed east to Castle Town.

Paws prickled by short grass, Link approached the impressive gates of Castle Town but his irises narrowed on a ghostly, golden figure sitting vigil in front of the bustling town. The search for the Sky characters forced Link in all sorts of terrain; he trekked back to the deserted kingdom of sand, the Gerudo Mesa where large sand dunes threatened to mummify him in an eternal tomb.

He stumbled on the remains of a magnificent coliseum (at least that's what Midna called it) near the border between Hyrule and Zora's Domain. Ivory stone benches rose from the grassy plains and covered a half-circle stage containing an owl statue. Link stepped down the stairs of old, imagining people gathered here once upon a time and cheering their favorite heroes. Columns lay broken, pale grey innards exposed to the sun.

A dense forest concealed yet another statue and the humidity seeped through Link's tunic and clung to him like a second skin. Gasping for breath and hair plastered to his forehead, he swatted giant mosquitoes and other flying insects aside and hacked vines, some as thick as his arm. As he painstakingly removed the owl statue from a custom made pedestal of polished oak, Midna started an archaeological dig, unearthing century year old pottery and little stone busts glorifying Goddess Hylia…or someone.

The Hero's shade glimmered, its one eye no longer bled menace and he waited patiently for Link to come to him. The sacred wolf hesitated, padded closer and with roughly a meter separating them, sat down, ears cocked and body rigid.

Pelt blazing into gold, the ghostly wolf studied its student. Link held his gaze unflinchingly. The boy tried his best...but was it good enough?

Leaping, the Hero's shade dragged Link to the sacred realm.

A space untainted.

Rising from the blanket of snow, Link held his sword and shield; he crouched, demonstrating the last attack he learnt, the jump strike. A flurry of snow billowed outwards as the blue specter parried the strike and Link back flipped, boots sinking in the cold.

Lowering the rusted blade, the Hero's shade circled the human, frosty sunlight reflected off his circular shield and paper thin lips revealed a set of intact teeth, stained by ages. An eyeball rolled in a single socket and Link lowered his gaze to the cracked sword, how many times has he hammered against it, willing the metal to break? But the blade held, much like his tenacious ghost teacher and he suddenly missed Orca. The shade stopped, a circle of stamped snow isolated Link from the rest of the foggy realm and he stood tall.

No longer will he be afraid of a relic of the past.

"Hmm...you have grown, both in strength and in stature," the ghost remarked, freezing breath escaping in a cloud. "I do not have much to teach you."

Link turned, wondering if he imagined the sorrow weaved in the specter's words. Could ghosts experience emotions?

The living and dead, chained by resolve, pressed swords together in mutual respect and Link jumped back, blood boiling. He raised his blade to his lips and kissed, drawing courage from the Master Sword.

The distance between them felt too great, despite the few meters separating him from blood and bone. The Hero's shade adjusted his wobbling helmet and tightened the leather straps holding a disintegrating breastplate to his skeleton. Did the current Link recognize the old symbols of Hyrule? Perhaps not. Slipping an arm stripped of flesh in the shield enarmes, the ghost raised his sword, a lump in his throat.

He followed the sandy haired child ever since he was a baby and now the time came for them to part. The wind whistled a lament through the rectangular incision in his breastplate and he looked at it. The cut sat snugly over his heart, if he had one, and he thought it fitting. Years of waiting degenerated him to senile, impatient tutor of bygone ages but he hoped, the current hero will appreciate his sentiments.

"We will now commence training for the Great Spin attack," the specter voiced forcefully. "Let me demonstrate the technique to you."

Time flowed differently in the sacred realm, it stretched, one second, one hour in the world proper may mean two weeks, a month here. Sword gripped till his knuckles turned white, Link spun round and round, a whirling dervish of silver and green. The snow bore muddy tramples and turned into a field of dirty white.

Motionless like an obelisk, the Hero's shade watched till the human perfected the technique. It reminded him of the time Link spent swinging his sword over the Royal Garden, mowing it to the finicky gardener's expectations. The boy, lidding his seething emotions, pocketed whatever trinkets he found in the overgrown lawn and later spent hours in his room, poring over the oddities and trying to classify them. Those holding value were promptly pawned; others were dumped into the Castle Town fountain. Bit by bit the child grew, his awareness increased and the golden wolf could not tail him any longer lest he struck fear in the child's heart.

However, here he was. The last great spin sent him reeling into the snow and he lay, face forward, rear end to the sky. Dropping his weapon, the Hero's shade pulled the bumbling adolescent upright and the boy scrambled back, apologizing profusely.

"I got dizzy there for a second," Link pouted, "this time I'll get it for su-"

"It is perfect," the ghost interjected, "your form." Blinking at the unsuspected praise, Link suspiciously squinted at the specter, mouth tightened in disbelief. "The Great Spin is the last thing I have left to teach you and now you have learnt it we...part."

Icy, skeletal hands grabbed Link by his shoulders and the Master Sword slipped from his grip, landing in the carpet of snow.

"You, who have marched through countless foes, each mightier than the last. You, who now gaze to the future, vision unclouded..._mostly_...Surely you can restore Hyrule to its days of yore as you are the chosen Hero of the Gods." Link let out a breath he held, he still did not think of himself as a hero, but he stood taller when the Shade praised and expected great things. "I have waited for you and although I accepted my position as a hero, regret of not being able to pass on my teachings, has tethered me to this realm." The ghost clasped Link tightly, trying to incite feeling in deadened palms. "You have eased my regrets and I have watched you grow from a babe to...to this." He stepped back, bony fingers fumbled with the helm on his head and he took it off. Embarrassed by his show of respect, Link smiled, cheeks coloring. "I wanted to meet you and since my wish has been fulfilled, I now bid you farewell, my child."

What!?

_Whaaat?_

_Child…No._

No!

"Wait!" Link screamed and lunged, the ghost's helmet imploded under his touch, a glitter of golden dust. Alarmed, he drew back and grabbed the breastplate's leather cords. "You…you can't leave me like this!" he insisted and the armor melted, transforming into a green tunic. "What...what's going on?" Link asked, shielding his eyes from a bright halo of light. "A fairy?" he warbled confusedly when a light blue orb with gossamer wings floated around the specter.

The Hero's shade smiled, skin losing the cyanotic blue Link associated him with. He almost looked human. A shock of light blonde hair spilled over his head and parted in the middle, framing his face. "Navi, I'm in a moment here," he wrinkled his giant nose and faced the fairy.

_Navi?_ Link blanked. The fairy who accompanied the Hero of Time? Knees weak, he sunk to the ground and both the Hero and Fairy turned to him.

"In the moment of dying apparently," the fairy retorted and pulsed. "Hurry up; I don't have another century to wait for you." She winked into non-existence and Link desperately clutched the older man's tunic.

"You can't go," he sniffed, tears springing to his eyes. "This is a mistake, you don't understan-"

The old hero's eyes flashed. A ghastly shade of red. "Are you still going on about that?" He thundered. "You should be proud of your legacy," he pried Link's clammy hands off his tunic and held them in his own. "You have strong hands, use them to protect. Use them to make me proud."

"No, YOU don't understand!" Link grasped him tightly. "I'm not him, your son. _Son_. He's in a different realm, I'm NOT HIM!" he hysterically gasped. Was this recompense, because he could not visit his grandma? "You must tell this to him...you can't leave him like this and go!" His vise grip cut off the once ghost's blood supply and he blanched, face paling into alabaster.

Link, Hero of Time smiled brightly. "Is that so?" he asked and wiped the tears coursing down the adolescent's face. The youngster hung on him, tense and desperate. "Then, I hope you take the message to him." The current Link shook his head fiercely. "I cannot stay, see, my legs are transparent already." He pointed to his vanishing body and hugged the young hero. "Stop wasting tears and go back, once I rejoin my companion," his lips stretched wider, gleeful, "this realm will cease to exist and you cannot be stuck here can you?"

The Hero of Twilight clawed, digging his fingers in a rapidly cooling shoulder, the Hero's shade, full of life, dissolved beneath him and the realm evaporated, eaten by a thick fog. He snatched the man's tunic, hoping to tear the cloth and preserve a form of evidence. But the torn material transformed into dust and left a glittering, golden imprint on his palm.

Pressing the palm to his face, he wept.

Midna perched on his shoulder as Link's knees sunk on the stone paved road, she squeezed his arm comfortingly, for some reason, the sobs wracking his body did not point to a childish tantrum. "Are you alright?" she asked and combed his hair with her fingers.

He sniffed and shook his head. Not bothering to wipe the salty tears dripping from his lips, Link uncovered one puffy eye. "Why does this always happen to me?" he demanded and Midna touched his cheek. "Why me?"

_Why is it always me?_

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was sad, I remember watching a Youtube video of the Hero of Time vanishing after he finished imparting the last lesson, it was animated and I can't remember whose channel it was but Kudos to you animator! You made me cry.

After all these years of being glorified, Link is told that he is nothing. Of course this will make him depressed. He feels nothing, everything is drab and grey and he can't enjoy anything anymore. It's not a nice feeling, it makes you tired.

Hopefully this story brings a little joy, a little comfort to those who are sad. Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Much thanks to TheOverlord2 for favoriting the story, hope you enjoy it further.

At KVeronicaP: Thank you for the kind words. I hope the story continues to live up to your expectations


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**Halcyon**

"Why me?" Princess Zelda asked and tucked a strand of golden brown hair behind her ear, her eyes resting on the Twilight Princess at the end of the long table.

Her first meeting with the Twilli happened approximately one year ago and she remembered the anxious churning in her stomach when Midna regally strode down a stairway of white light, bare feet smoking and head held high. A skirt of ebony, held at her waist with a thick cord of bronze, covered her indecently and Zelda blushed. What kind of Royal dress code was this? The princess came to a towering stop over the Hylian, turquoise features guarded. Eventually she smiled and in the broken curve of her lips, Zelda spied an unspoken longing.

A longing for a companion.

Now the princess sunk low in a velvet couch, long legs placed on study table strewn with scrolls and text books. The sages insisted Zelda complete her academic curriculum as soon as possible as she needed to be groomed for military arts. Zelda hated wielding the sword, but she remained unsurpassed with the bow. Silver blue eyes still on the brooding Midna, she questioned, "What do you mean by your words?"

The Twilli impatiently tossed a tome on the marble table top and Zelda, heart hammering, watched the silver bound book glide across and drop on the carpet. Pushing herself up, Midna lowered her legs and studied the Hylian princess and her Triforce dotted hand.

"What I mean is, why am I the Twilight Princess, inheritor of our ancient magic," Midna's lips curled distastefully, "and why are you, still a child, quietly filling your head with all this...rubbish," she pointed to the books, "instead of going outside and doing what normal princesses do."

"What do normal princesses do?" Zelda queried calmly.

Midna shot her a hopeless look. "Elope with a handsome man of course." She threw her head back and laughed mirthlessly. "Really now," her tone softened, "why are we the chosen ones? I never asked to be born a princess and neither did you. Does the almighty goddesses think it is fair to thrust such heavy responsibility...oh, there's that Triforce brat mowing the lawn, he looks so miserable I can't help but sneak a prank on him." The Twilli pressed her face against the panes of polished glass and saffron irises tracked Link's progress as he weaved through a dense undergrowth of grass, his sandy head disappearing beneath emerald blades. Princess Zelda joined her and two pairs of eyes watched Link demolishing the hedge.

"I still did not understand your question, Princess Midna." Zelda politely probed and seated herself on the windowsill, her silk grown draping to the floor. "And please refrain from playing pranks, no one apart from myself and the sages know you are here. Understand you are treated with a high level of secrecy."

"Unfortunately," the Twilli drawled and sank back into her couch. "...Why did the goddess choose us?" she questioned solemnly. "You are the Triforce wielder of Wisdom, can you answer my question?"

Closing her eyes, Zelda ruminated on her answer. Midna got up and paced the private library, her fingers skirting over tomes bound in animal skin and edged with precious metals and jewels. She pulled a thick book out from the teakwood shelves and caressed the edge lined with rubies winking in mid-morning sunlight.

"Humans are led to believe that we can do anything, with enough conviction and power." The Hylian princess absentmindedly traced the pages in her theology textbook. "We are led to believe we can change our fate, master our destiny, overcome obstacles and yes...we can." Midna raised an eyebrow, weighing the book in her hands. "Humans cannot fly without aid. No matter how much we may believe so, we cannot fly." Zelda turned to the window, her gaze roaming to where heaven kissed earth. "When you asked why we were born to this role...I cannot give you an answer, all I can say is that the Goddesses have chosen us and there are some things we cannot change, no matter how much we try." She traced the golden triangle marking the back of her hand. "Whether we live up to our tasks, is for us to decide." Rays of sunshine created a halo around Zelda's head and Midna appreciated the embodiment of knowledge residing in this young, level headed girl. "Why us?" The human lifted her chin, eyes flashing. "It is because we have no choice in this matter. However, I am a willing puppet."

_Why me?_

Link sobbed knees digging into the pavement leading to Castle Town. Midna could not reiterate Zelda's eloquent reply, she understood what the Hylian Princess meant and from that fateful day on, like Zelda, she governed the Twilight Realm akin to a willing puppet.

Some things cannot be changed no matter how much you try.

And thus, we humans, cannot fly.

* * *

In the sanctuary's basement, Renado and Shad, denim blue irises wide behind his glasses, joined Link and prowled around the broken Sky Cannon. The shaman stood a distance away, gnarled hands clasped respectfully in front of his geometric patterned robe. The scholar, armed with a duster, gleaned dust off the ancient contraption and pressed his palms against the bone white stone.

Shad poked his head inside the cannon and inspected the weapon's impossibly wide barrel. He leaned further, absorbed by stone. A metallic device, set at the back edge of the cannon, glinted in the dim light of the basement and Shad dutifully traced it.

Standing apart from them and more interested in a line of insects trickling from a hole in the wall, Link poked the nest with a stick and a colony of ants swarmed out, waving antennae in the air. He retreated from the swarm and waited for Shad to exhaust his supply of energy. But the caramel haired man rotated around the antediluvian wonder and charted figures in his notebook. Bored, Link explored the crypt; tunnels branched to all directions and lighting his lantern, he followed were his feet guided him. Stopping when the bricks underfoot gave way to natural earth, he peered into the gloom, swallowing nervously when the lantern's tangerine glow passed over soil caked bone.

Gingerly, he stepped forward. The unpleasant undertones of rotting earth hit his nose and he sneezed, the sound echoed through the tunnel and he squared his shoulders. His boots crunched over what he assumed was bone and without looking downwards, he marched deeper, determined to see where the tunnel ended. Might he find buried treasure? The ground beneath his feet shifted and several long sticks poked his shin, lowering the lantern, Link laid eyes on a sea of bone. Blank skulls swam on top of femurs and ribcages and between the ocean of off white, the glint of gold shone through.

Turquoise and garnet winked between gaps. Emerald and Aquamarine stone studded teeth.

"This used to be a royal grave yard." The Twilli emerged, nose wrinkling at the remains of royalty. "Heh, even they aren't blessed with eternal life." Midna hovered over the remains, imprinting mortality behind her eyelids.

"Is the Hero of Time buried here?" Link asked, voice reverberating from the rich tomb; Midna shook her head and he scowled. "Then were? Not even Shad can pinpoint his grave and he knows everything," the adolescent exclaimed and lowered his lantern in defeat. "I mean, he was a very important person right, so he might be here..." he trailed off, uncertain.

A mass of jewels lay beneath the film of bones and glittered when touched by light. "Yes he was an important individual, but he was not royalty. No one knows where his grave is because he died as a wandering nomad, for all you know, it could be in some obscure patch of forest," the imp said. "We don't have time to search for an elusive grave, I hope you remember that."

"I know." Link retraced his steps, hopefully Shad left. "I just thought I might see his grave, I still can't believe the cranky old ghost was him. So, he's my Dad or something?" Deep in thought, Link mentally compared the harsh specter with some of his model grandfatherly figures like Gor Coron. "He's not Dad material but," he recalled the Hero's smile, "once the skin on his face grew back, he looked warm and happy." Blowing out the lantern, Link basked in the warmth from the candles bolted to the brick tunnel and lumbered up an incline, where the wayward burrows branched back to the tunnel.

Trailing in his shadow, Midna corrected, "The Hero of Time is not your father." Link gasped, horrified; as if such a thing was impossible. Sneering, she continued, "You are a descendent, which means he is your great grandfather's grandfather." She watched the human's cognitive gears whirring as he tried (and failed) to process the bit of information. "All you need to know is that his blood runs in your veins, which alone should be enough of an honor."

"So my blood is precious." The hero sagely concluded and looked as his palms. Nodding to himself and purpose renewed in icy blue eyes, he backtracked to the cavern holding the dismembered Sky Cannon. To his dismay, Shad, silver cobwebs dusting his hair, patrolled the ancient weapon, when he spied Link, his face lit up.

"How are you going to transport the cannon to Fyer's place?" the scholar asked as he thumped his diary's pages. "I've tried to come up with a suitable solution but," he scratched his head, "taking it out of the basement and through Renado's front door will pose a considerable challenge. In the first place, the cannon's dimensions are so huge," Shad pointed to the bulging barrel lying crookedly on the floor, "that lifting it will be a hassle." He thoughtfully scratched his cheek. "I don't think creating a tunnel from above and using a lift to pick it up is an option."

Link glanced at his shadow staining the floor. "If you don't mind leaving me alone for a while," he gripped a cannon wheel and strained to lift it. "I might be able to get it to Lake Hylia without a problem." The granite wheel slipped from his grasp and landed half an inch away from his boot. "Don't worry," he flashed a confident smile while Shad concernedly gaped at the near accident, "I got this."

By late afternoon, the hero walked into the canon repair shop situated on a miniscule island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Why Fyer chose this goddess forsaken place, Link did not understand but he loved how the disk of land floated alone over the water. It reminded him of the islands back home. The broken Sky Cannon was dumped behind the haphazardly built shop and Midna, exhausted with warping such a colossal artifact, slept and threatened Link not to wake her up unless an Armageddon took place.

Grinning to himself, Link inspected the junk on display. He picked up interlocking gears with flat teeth, small cannon balls and strayed away from ominously glinting harpoons.

The barbed spears transported him to the whaling tradition on Outset Island. Sailors pushed large skiffs out to sea and often returned with one or two whales. The massive creatures were laid out on the beach and for several days, the animals were skinned and cut, harvested of everything, even their bone. Whale fat became a precious commodity as it could be used for soaps and hard perfumes.

Slinking through dusty wooden shelves, Link stopped to ogle at a boat parts. He picked up a slender, decorated oar and quickly put it back when his eyes snagged the attached price tag. At the back of the shop, a pair of round, black rimmed eyes followed the young male's every move and when Link finally reached the counter, he scrutinized the shopkeeper, eyes travelling up and down and pausing at the hot pink, midriff jacket squeezed on Fyer's burly shoulders.

_Eww_.

Who in their right mind wore such stuff? Link tore his eyes away from the man. Fyer's lower lip, painted in mauve (purple was evil), dropped to his chin and his abdomen, containing a triangular patch of hair, protruded beneath his jacket. At a loss for words, the adolescent let his mind wander to a shelf behind the shopkeeper and he smiled tightly when a little cannon figurine leapt at him.

"I've got a cannon in your back yard," Link explained and Fyer's eyes, ringed in clown make up, widened to epic proportions. "I think Auru mentioned the Sky Cannon?" Link asked, wondering if he should poke the balloon like abdomen for a response.

"Don't be crude." Midna snapped and resumed snoring.

"Yes, that will be three thousand rupees for my services," Fyer droned in a voice so dry, Link failed to understand his words properly.

However, he heard the amount loud and clear and Holy Jabun! The adolescent quickly turned and tipped a multitude of silver rupees in his palm. Three thousand? That was a little more than his painstakingly saved stash of money! He spun back, bottom lip pushed against his top one in a pleading pout.

"No negotiations," Fyer hissed in obvious pleasure and Link's forlorn gaze dropped back to his hands.

Tears almost escaped his eyes as he dumped the rupees on the counter, his heart shattering like fragile glass. The shopkeeper greedily inspected the money and grinned, revealing a mouthful of uneven teeth. Not in the mood to share happiness, Link stalked outside and glared at the setting sun, he refocused his glare at the damaged Sky Cannon and kicked it for good measure. The unyielding basalt struck back with equal force and muttering a curse under his breath, he massaged his throbbing foot.

"Did Grandma never tell you not to say such ugly words?" the Twilli enquired with a yawn and Link felt her puttering around in his head...or wherever she went when she melted in his shadow. Squatting on a patch of lush grass, he dug through a small waist pack for food.

A crew of workers emerged from Fyer's shop and immediately set to work, creating a scaffolding around the humungous cannon. Biting into a pastry, Link drew closer to the work site and Fyer, supervising the project, sidled to him.

"It will take around three weeks to finish the work; you can leave it to us," the cannon repair man informed before loping off and hollering at a random worker to measure the cannon.

The cloudy sky darkened to a rich blue-black and Link walked to the edge of the small island. He pulled off his boots and waded to the shoreline where the shockingly cold water nipped his swollen toes. Sighing contentedly, he removed his cap and undressed. Bare chested, he hugged himself and closed his eyes. The wind caressed him and hair whipping; Link dived into the waters of Lake Hylia.

For three weeks, the men toiled and chipped at the Sky Cannon and Link relived his island life. Instead of returning to Ordona Village, as his companion suggested, he built a shelter at the edge of the land and spent his days swimming and fishing. Unlike the beaches of Outset Island, which offered him plenty of crabs, periwinkles and mussels rooted on seaweed strewn boulders, the strip of white sand serving as a border between lake and land only gave him empty shells and bleached fish skeletons. The lack of coconut palms also bothered him, what should a guy _eat_ if stranded here?

Fishing boats, crammed to the brim with Zora, typically sailed the waters before true dawn. Shivering in the mist clouding the lake front, Link watched gilded prows cutting through the fog and lanterns casting an otherworldly glow. Twice, he witnessed an extreme form of water sports. The Zora, scaly bodies glinting in the sun, competed with each other in rowing colorful canoes down the crashing waterfall. A grilled fish half-way to his mouth, Link rose from his smoky fireplace and witnessed a bronze canoe fighting against the torrential might of the waterfall. He gulped, heart roaring in his ears. When the canoe landed at the base of the falls without cracking into driftwood, he ran to the island's edge and cheered along with the sporting Zora.

One early morning, the day dawned wet. A white bird sheltered underneath a tall fir tree and hopped down to inspect the tent. It waltzed right into the warm interior and screwed beady eyes on the snoring man heaped ungainly underneath a pile of blankets and clothes. Gingerly removing a sock from the human's arm, the bird examined the Triforce and regarded the drooling hero.

Ooccoo never doubted the Goddesses' decisions, humans and their race did not mix, but perhaps the time came to shatter these outdated views and steer the bird race into an era where they freely shared and lived amongst others. Provided the Hylian Royal sages allowed them to practice light magic of course. The shadow around Link's head elongated and color leached into Midna's skin. The imp and Ooccoo greeted each other solemnly and thereafter, she kicked the Hero of Twilight, tiny foot lashing on his head.

"That must hurt," Ooccoo said.

Midna grinned devilishly. "The lazy...the brat deserved it." She huffed and pulled the clothes piling on top of Link. Wordlessly, she folded them and the adolescent stirred, hand clamped against his throbbing cheek.

"You didn't have to kick me," Link moaned and sat upright, coming face to face with Ooccoo's apologetic expression. "What are you wearing?" he asked, pointing to the golden kilt sitting snugly on the bird-thing's midsection. "And is this a necklace?" The human pitched forward, hand fastening around the string of precious jewels Ooccoo donned.

The bird hopped back. "Yes, it is important to appear presentable when inviting someone from below. I am an ambassador of Sky City." Behind the gawping Link, Midna wrinkled her nose and warped a bag of trash. "I aim to re-establish connections between the surface world and Sky City and I'm welcoming you first, Hero of Twilight. You have proved yourself to be a just young man. Still transfixed with the cobalt stones around the bird's neck, Link gestured at them. "They are turquoise, if you visit our city, I'm sure the other Ooccoo will craft you one."

Thrilled at the prospect of getting a snazzy necklace of turquoise, Link jumped up from his bedroll and Midna dourly rolled it. He dressed, carefully pulling the chainmail over a thin shirt before securing the green, hero's tunic on top. Tightening his boots, he hopped outside, barely sparing the fishing vessels a glance.

The Sky Cannon shone with droplets of water. Completed yesterday evening, Link forlornly handed over all three thousand rupees to Fyer but now, he did not regret it. Bundling the tent and giving it to Midna who stowed it away, he stalked towards the Sky Cannon and Ooccoo followed behind, feet dampened by the dewy grass.

"In case you need a reminder," Ooccoo piped, "you are not going to Sky City for a pleasure cruise. Centuries of silence between our world and this one, has brought ruin to us. We want you to get rid of the draconic monster hoarding our city."

Body half swallowed by the cannon muzzle, Link kicked and landed in a heap inside the spacious barrel. He glared balefully at the ivory skinned Ooccoo and groped for the trigger switch. "Slaying dragons is not on my work list," he muttered and retrieved his clawshot, "but I guess I have to do it because of the Mirror shard; but first thing first...Take off!"

The cannon blasted a human and bird into the sky. Jubilant, Link screamed, spreading his arms and legs like a starfish. Tears streamed in his eyes and safely cocooned from the elements inside Link's shadow, Midna watched him bullet through the clouds and head straight for the floating speck in the sky.

She recalled Zelda's words:

_A willing puppet._

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Taming wayward wind**

The blade of evil's bane rested in a pedestal, as it should. Dragging his felt boots across the worn steps, Link climbed downwards to the musty crypt and his eyes darted, catching the seven sages imprinted in colored glass. Alighting in front of the Master Sword, he lifted his gaze to the stone statues guarding the blade and the stained glass humming with magic. From deep within the castle's crevices, the sad lament of an ocarina lingered and he closed his eyes. It was the same tune whistling through the dense undergrowth in Forest Haven.

Walking away from the magnetic pull of the sword, he studied the windows, naming the sages preserved within. Impa, leader of the Sheikha, glared at him with scarlet irises, her posture one of power. Next to her, Princess Ruto, framed by cobalt fins and palms pressed together in prayer. He lingered near the forms of Rauru, Daruina with his spiky hair and infectious smile and Nabooru, the female sage with flaming hair. Coming to a stop before Saria, he bowed at the Kokkiri child, her olive green eyes shone in perpetual kindness. Moving on, he knelt before Princess Zelda; leader of the seven sages.

Dusting his knees, Link gravitated back towards the Master Sword. His heart no longer beat erratically and a strange calmness descended on him. Gripping the blue handle respectfully, he inhaled and pulled it out.

The distant crash of stone throbbed in his ears and he bewilderedly stared at the statues above his head. Were they corroding? Silently, he hopped to the side when the granite guardian's sword broke off and crushed the floor. A cacophony of noises and shrieks erupted above ground and grasping the newly acquired blade, Link tore up the stairs, cautiously popping his head above ground.

A Darknut paraded right past him, dusty armor clinking.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Link leaned against the staircase wall and unsheathed his practice blade. He weighed his two weapons, suddenly misty eyed. Although the smaller sword was vastly inferior to the Master blade, it served him well throughout his journey and Link could not bear to part with it. Making up his mind, he sheathed the practice sword at his waist nestled the Master Sword on his back with the shield. Head held high, he strode fearlessly to the surface and all the reanimated monsters paused in the swaggering to goggle at the diminutive human rising from below.

A Moblin screeched.

_Attack!_

Two Darknuts raced neck to neck, armored boots beating stone tiles as they fluidly drew their weapons and cut across the air, aiming to swipe the blonde nuisance's head off. To their collective surprise, Link braced their attacks on his shield and pitch eyes glimmering venomously, he pushed the Darknuts back, unbalancing them.

As they tried to regain their footing, a silver blade sliced through their armor straps and twin breastplates clanged to the floor, one after the other. Rolling, Link rose behind one unarmored monster and stabbed it in the back.

The other whirled and sliced its massive sword.

Stepping inside the deadly arc of the blade, Link seized the Darknut's wrist and buried his weapon in the monster's chest. A spurt of blood dotted his forehead and the beast dropped, face planting to the ground.

Twirling his new favorite blade, Link turned, gracing the other monsters with a soft smile.

Despite the two corpses, the moblin charged, hefting tasseled spears in the air. Grasping one by the wooden shaft, Link helped one monster murder the other. Wrenching the distraught Moblin's spear, he held it like a lance and broke into a run, running the pointy tip through the beast and coming to a juddering halt. Palms burning, he let go of the spear and picked out a splinter pricking his thumb.

Crushed ornamental pillar fragments lay at his feet. The floor disappeared under severed body parts and sticky patches of blood. Smashed pottery, blue and white pieces, were strewn with monster heads. Breathing hard and sitting down at the pedestal of the gigantic statue, Link inspected several rips in his tunic and touched his lacerations with rubbing alcohol. He drank a bottle of potion and rested. The once immaculate palace stank of coagulated blood and decomposing flesh and the boy's lips curved into an upward smile.

I am forcing the Goddesses to choose me, Link decided and looked at the Hero of Time's statue, its stone eyes fixed to a point unknown. Bowing to the statue, he spun on his heel and followed the exit.

The King of Red Lions waited expectantly for him. "You were gone longer than I hoped," he said and noted a new scar slashing Link's upper arm. "I started worrying when time resumed and you would not come out." Blinking, the boy noticed algae smothering the castle turrets and local sea-life drifted in and out of abandoned towers. "The main building is still secured," the figurehead assured and his eyes gleamed. "You have nothing to fear, water will never erode the Hero's statue." Link flushed, wondering if his obsession was that obvious. "My boy," Daphnes called, "are you feeling alright? Did you find the answers you seek?"

Backing out of the deckhouse with a fresh, crayfish printed tunic, Link leaned against the figurehead. "Not particularly, however, I decided to forge my own path," he stated defiantly and the King of Red Lions drifted upwards, returning to the realm of reality. "I don't have the Triforce of Courage any longer, but I will force the deities to bestow it on me so I can vanquish Ganondorf for good." Wrapping his arms around the figurehead, Link pressed his cheek against the wood. "Do I sound like a raving madman when I say so?"

"Man?" the boat teased and suffered an indignant knock to his chin. "I have one question." A school of lemon yellow fish darted past the magical boat and into the safety of the darkness beyond. "Why?"

_Why?_

The simple question forced Link to rethink his answer. At the Tower of Gods, the guardian deemed his reasons unworthy.

"Because we all have a part to play and my part is to bring balance to the Triforce. Anyone with enough conviction can replace me," he thought about the child occupying his body, "but right now, I'm not doing it because I _feel_ like it is my sole duty to save the Great Seas...but because it is the moral thing, the right thing to do. Previously," Link explained, hugging the figurehead tighter as tendrils of sunlight seeped into the ocean. "I thought it was my birthright. I was proud of being a wielder of the Triforce and I suppose, I lost faith in other people..." Link trailed off, his arms loosened from the dragon-head and he slunk away.

"I do not understand," Daphnes creaked as he rotated backwards, "what do you mean by birthright?"

Boat and passenger speared from beneath the surface of the Great Sea. Water streamed off the boat and to his dismay, Link shivered in his soaked tunic. Grabbing a bucket, he doled water out of the deck and scurried around to rescue any loose parchments or waste floating to the sea.

"I forgot to tell you." The boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head while the King of Red Lion's prussian blue eyes saw right through his transparent lie. "I'm descended from the Hero of Time, he is my maternal ancestor." The watercraft's wooden eyebrows shot up. "Because of that," Link sighed, "I'm so foolish."

A cyclone raged near northwest Triangle Island, a malicious twister of wind funneling a bank of clouds on top of it. The horizon grew dark and even from this distance, the watercraft tasted wrath. "Cyclos..." he muttered. On deck, Link aimlessly wandered about before settling with his sea charts. Protected in a lacquered sheath, the Master Sword leaned against a crate and the boy kept a firm grip on it.

Earlier enthusiasm diluted by the weight of work, he scowled at the map and conferred a sailor's journal. "Link," the boat probed and head jerking up, the boy waited. "How are you feeling?" Coal black eyes gazed vacantly at the sea. "I understand the trip to Hyrule Castle could have given you much more." The child nodded listlessly and draped himself over the boat, small hands skimming the water. "You are eager to set sail and the next destination will be the Forsaken Fortress."

A momentary spark crossed Link's eyes and faded. Shrugging, he grabbed a swab and cleaned, wiping sea salt and grime off the deck planks.

"Next destination or not, I want to pay the Forsaken Fortress a visit. My sister is there and I must rescue her." A flock of seagulls streaked overhead, peppering his words with loud squawks. "I told myself that the moment I get a suitable weapon, I will rescue her. Although, I don't think of her as my sister." Link bent on his knees to pick a piece of seaweed and toss it overboard. "I travelled to Old Hyrule and I think, the journey answered some of my questions...no," he shook his head, fingers twisting the swab, "It did answer my questions but I still feel nothing, I feel so empty and it's choking me!" He twisted the cotton cloth till it tore. "I can't breathe." Link confessed through gritted teeth.

Grabbing the Master Sword, he worked on his sets. The blade glinted, cutting through air and he moved fluidly, lunging, slicing, breathing raggedly.

"What's wrong with me?"

Wind and water roared and with one ear tending to Link's woes, Daphnes turned his attention back to the unnatural storm. Clouds created a bank of pewter above the cyclone and the atmosphere cackled. Soon the windstorm will give way to thunder and lashing rain and the entire area will be at the mercy of Cyclos' misplaced wrath. The King of Red Lions formulated a plan in his head, the violent wind god needed to be brought down a peg or two and who better than the boy forcing gods to acknowledge him?

"There is a storm brewing in the northern horizon," the boat stated and Link glowered at him, what did a storm have to do with his practice session? "And I was thinking, it is en-route to the Forsaken Fortress and the cyclone is artificial, do you remember Zephos?" Interest piqued, the child nodded, his blade lowering. "I believe he told you about his wayward brother, Cyclos, whose monument was shattered and to compensate for that, he creates unnatural cyclones on the sea, terrorizing everyone." Link scowled, the storm deity's behavior left much to be desired. "Perhaps you should tame the storm?" the King of Red Lions suggested eagerly, his passenger will never pass on an opportunity to test his sword on a worthy opponent.

To his astonishment, Link's head hung low, reluctance apparent in the downward tilt of his lips.

He trudged into the deckhouse, leaving the figurehead sighing in the wind.

Evening dawned, a blanket of weak sunshine. Waves lapped against the boat's hull, spraying foam on the deck. Hair disheveled, Link emerged from the deckhouse, troubled sleep marking black circles around his eyes. He slumped on a crate, nibbled a buttered biscuit and ground it in his hands, sprinkling crumbs on the sea's surface. A school of young Fishmen, colors dull, swarmed around the bait and polished it off.

The boy returned to meticulously organizing his things and eventually leaning against the mast with a thick tome balanced in skinny arms. Reading but not comprehending, he shut the book and closed his eyes, feeling the ocean and boat sway under him. The uneven rocking calmed him and grabbing the telescope, he surveyed the storm. True to the Daphnes' words, a gigantic cyclone spun, whirl-pooling small ships into its center; getting up, Link surveyed the ominous gathering of clouds above the raging funnel.

How many people could say they tempered a storm god?

He stared straight ahead, the wall of wind appeared impenetrable. But did such things stop him?

Wordlessly, he raised the sail and adjusted the horizontal boom. A flick with the WindWaker granted him a favorable, north westerly gale. New sail cloth billowing, the King of Red Lions skipped over the sea, gaining an entourage of sharks and seagulls along the way. Setting up a cardboard target at the back, Link experimented with the bow and arrow. His shots went wide, missing the center circle entirely. The boat's swaying unbalanced him and he tightened his fingers on the drawstring, nocked a bow and drew it.

Patience...

The arrow flew and split the target dead center.

* * *

Droplets of freezing water stung his face and the boat buckled in wild waves. Here, in this zone of howling wind and gurgling water, nature's laws deserted them and Link tottered left and right, pulled by the merciless surfs. Several times he slipped, earning a map of blue bruises on his chin, he fastened himself on the mast with a length of rope, but the frayed lariat snapped in half and sent him colliding head first in a barrel of fruit. Shaking off a banana, he stood upright, glowering at the cyclone.

A piece of driftwood sailed above his head and crashed in the sea behind him.

The landscape tinted grey, like the timeless environment of old Hyrule. Wiping the spyglass' lens, Link peered through it, hoping to glimpse the storm god, unfortunately, Cyclos remained elusive and getting closer to the eye of the storm remained the only chance to trap the deity. A whirlpool sucked objects in the center and Link contemplated on using the cannon to land a hit on Cyclos, he immediately dismissed the idea.

_A wind god, not a kraken, _the hero concluded and searched for an inlet. Grabbing an oar, he paddled furiously and the oar snapped. Swearing, he grabbed another paddle and rowed, muscles screaming.

The boat veered left and right, suddenly the current swept it away and Link held on for dear life as rain lashed his face and body.

He retched; the constant movement upset his stomach.

Gluing the telescope to his eye, he caught a sliver of crimson riding atop a pale purple cloud.

Cyclos.

Link grinned triumphantly and groped on the deck, his hands closed around a piece of heavy duty rope. Looping the rope around his waist, he tied it several times to the mast, his fingers burning. The position did not allow much maneuvering but...beggars can't be choosers. Holding his bow steady, Link commanded the King of Red Lions to sail as smooth as possible; the boat barked an ignoble snippet of laughter but promised to do his best. Tasting salt in the wind, the boy gained a clear visual of Cyclos orchestrating the storm with madness in his eyes. Nocking a bow, Link aimed for the frog's midsection and let the drawstring loose.

Against all odds, the arrow pierced Cyclos's butt.

Mortified, Link hurriedly fired several more arrows and the wind twisted them in all the wrong directions. Clenching teeth, he aimed for Cyclos' head; surely a powerful deity such as him will not be much affected? The flying arrow whizzed away, its arrowhead separating from the wooden shaft. With one arrow left, the hero suffered the unbridled wrath of Cyclos' hatred fuelled stare and arms shaking, Link took aim.

He closed his eyes and breathed. The target, a wooden dummy, stood over a kilometer away. His instructor, blonde ponytail held together by a bronze clasp, studied him with her hands on her hips. A short sleeved tunic revealed muscular arms, toned to perfection by the art of archery.

The arrow fletching quivered above Cyclos' chest. Surprised, the frog grasped the projectile with fat fingers and removed it. Horizontal pupils landed on the green clothed menace riding a boat with...was that the King of Red Lions? Puffing resentfully, the storm god dissipated the cyclone and wisps of powerful wind cantered off to the four cardinal points. The carpet of grey above the sea remained but the forceful tides bowed and smoothed.

Cyclos lowered just enough for the puny human to gaze, neck craning, in awe. "Got yourself another pet have you, Daphnes?" he sneered and squinted at the child looking like over roasted peanut. "I don't see the Triforce on his hand, not the one the legends speak of eh?"

Despite the crass commentary, Link bowed low and the King of Red Lions followed suit after a moment's hesitation. "Cyclos, old friend," he greeted and the crimson frog grudgingly acknowledged them both. "I have finally found the hero spoken of in legends." Daphnes nodded to Link appraising the god. "He is able to use the WindWaker and pulled out the Master Sword in Hyrule sunk under the sea." At this, Cyclos hovered lower, grudging respect flicking on his face. "His name is Link, as is the tradition, and with your help, we will sail to the Forsaken Fortress and defeat Ganondorf who, if I may remind you, has been terrorizing the high seas for more than a few centuries."

The storm frog eyed the figurehead sharply and closed bulbous eyes.

"What do you mean by _my_ help?" Cyclos snapped and folded his arms above his chest. Yellow, bushy eyebrows sat snugly over a pair of perpetually irked eyes. "If you want to learn the Ballad of Gales, fix my monument first!" The wind whistled, whipping the ocean's waves into small peaks. The King of Red Lions continued staring and rapidly losing respect over the temperamental frog, Link snorted under his breath and ambled to the food chests. Braving a storm depleted his energy. "Oi pint sized kid-"

"He is not a child, please refrain from addressing him as such," Daphnes quickly interjected before his enraged passenger hurled a cheese wheel at Cyclos. "He might be young of stature, but he is formidable in battle, what else do I need to say to convince you old friend? Your monument is constantly destroyed because you destroy it. Why should island residents be thankful of your emotional storms?"

Cyclos rubbed a wart filled finger under his chin. "Hmm...good point, I always hated that rational thinking of yours," the frog declared, whipping the wind into a gale. "No wonder you and Zephos get along with each other." Turning to Link, he observed the boy eat, ebony irises fixed absentmindedly on the deck. "Come here, Hero of Winds." The child put his food down, extracted the WindWaker from a sack and held up like a conductor. "The Ballad of Gales will allow you to teleport across the Great Sea," Cyclos informed and the puny human on deck raised an eyebrow. "I see you are skeptical, by my cyclones are weaved from wind and spirit, think less of it and you will be shredded like many others before you." Link schooled his facial expression into one of utmost appreciation and inhaled when the storm god grinned self-satisfactorily. "Listen, to the Ballad of Gales," he announced and raised his arms.

* * *

A red boat sailed on calm waters and giant search lights silhouetted the bare branches of the Forsaken Fortress. Hanging over the watercraft's taffrails, Link vomited, his face pale. He gripped the WindWaker weakly in his left hand and closed his eyes.

The Ballad of Gales was a formidable symphony and for the first time since he wielded it, the hero regarded the eggshell white baton with a measure of respect and awe.

It whipped up a cyclone before his very eyes. A roaring, vertical tower of wind and water and he rode on top of his, whisking across the Great Sea in dizzying circles before the storm collapsed and deposited him some leagues away from the stone fortress.

He clutched his throbbing head and retched some more.

Unbelievable.

Wiping his saliva streaked mouth, Link shakily rose to his legs and screwed the spyglass to his eye, the King of Red Lions admonished him to rest but the words echoed like they were underwater and after the first few sentences, Link stopped listening. Blood roared in his ears and he focused intently at a window swarming with seagulls. Moving the telescope, he noted other, glassless windows, squares cut into stone, however the one with thick steel columns shone with the soft, pumpkin orange glow of candle light.

He lowered the telescope and glared, eyes rising to the boat snarled in the boughs of a stone tree.

"Ganondorf," Link hissed under his breath.

* * *

**A/N:** My beloved Mindy is a crack-shot with an air rifle and a bow, as for me, I couldn't even shoot a target even if it was right in front of my nose, I have the worst aim of my siblings and my brother is good by practice. I like to imagine Zelda and Midna to be very good friends. They both share their burdens and secrets with each other.

It's nice to have a person to confide to, but unfortunately, such close friends can be few and hard to come by. So, make an example, try to be someone who can be confided in. Be a secret keeper.

At Novirp13: Your tears are delicious.

Much gratitude to Himegoto-chan for liking the story.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Have a dark chocolate filled day.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**Empty lanterns provide no light**

Shrouded by darkness, Link circled the Forsaken Fortress.

Predator scanning prey.

Flock of seagulls and kargaroc swirled the foreboding bastille and despite the sputtering protests from the King of Red Lions; the hero paddled around the huge fortification, staying clear from the wall mounted cannons.

He sketched a plan of action on a loose sheet of paper, frowned in frustration and adjusted his plans. The cannons swiveled in position each time he ventured close and the accursed light generating mechanisms, searchlights Daphnes called them, pierced the foggy cover of night. Arms aching Link bobbed on the waves, pitch irises glaring at the boat cradled in the stone tree. Planks of decayed wood gleamed in harsh, orange light but mystery swaddled the unseen interior. Lowering his gaze, Link consulted his action plan and stomped to the deckhouse, moments later, he wheeled the cannon on deck and cleaned it, till the iron barrel shone under moonlight filtering through clouds.

Nudging the boat closer, Link aimed at the fortress' gigantic, wooden door and wondered how he infiltrated the island before.

"I have no idea but judging from what Nico told me," the figurehead stared at the blazing torches illuminating the entrance, "the pirates catapulted you inside. Personally, I was not here to see you but apparently you were knocked unconscious and you lost your weapon."

Link remembered a bump on the back of his head; so a collision with stone produced it. Chuckling humorlessly, he steadied the boat, the north westerly wind generated by the WindWaker dissipated and an eerie tranquility settled upon the sea.

The calm before the storm, the hero mused, how fitting.

Lighting the cannon's fuse, Link stuck his index fingers into his ears and crouched. A magical, blinking bomb soared out of the muzzle and detonated with the unforgiving gate. Chunks of wood rained in the water and a huge crack widened across the door.

Cannons scanned the area wildly, priming on Link's position and firing. Balls of iron sunk underwater and only harmless ripples reached the boat.

A second bomb disintegrated the door entirely and torn off its iron hinges, it floated, mere driftwood. Swiveling the cannon, Link aimed it at the stone walls, right beneath the wall mounted artillery's flimsy support system and destroyed the brackets holding the cannons upright. Warped metal drowned in the sea, their smoking barrels cooled by frigid waters.

The boat sailed to the central platform, careful of the searchlight glare. Telescope screwed to his eye, Link noted the small army of bokoblin guarding each station. New security measures were put into place and a half grin bloomed on his face at the barbed stake-gates. Ladders were removed and stone bridges across wide gaps crumbled into oblivion.

Curiously, light did not cross the center of the Forsaken Fortress, accessible by a spiral of basalt steps. The paved clearing remained suspiciously clear and as Link hopped overboard, a grip of fear clutched his throat.

"I'm coming back with Aryll." Link swallowed, eyes oscillating between the windowless room and the ominous lair sheltering Ganondorf. "At the first sign of danger, you get out of here as quickly as possible," the boy solemnly declared and Daphnes shook his head. "You must get out of here!" Link stressed, grabbing the figurehead's wooden mane. "There are cannons surrounding you, what will you do if they start shooting? You can't possibly evade all of them!" He gripped the mane tighter, palms sweating. "Please, Aryll and I will find a way to escape. I've been in sticky situations before and my ability to survive is astounding." Still gripping the figurehead, Link searched the upper platforms for enemy signs. "Listen, I'm old enough to take care of myself. And I have the Master Sword..." he mumbled. The sacred weapon was extremely sharp; however, it contained a hollow weightlessness. "King of Red Lions sir, stop treating me like a child."

A beam of light arced across the sky and came to a stop on top of the stairs, cued by the first movement, all the beams shifted, chasing shadow and searching for intruders.

"My boy," Daphnes sighed, "I am not treating you like a child, your words wound me." The hero stepped back and sucked in a sharp breath. "I am not going anywhere without you -wait, let me finish-" the boat interjected when Link opened his mouth to protest, "and if the worst does come into play, fear not, no harm will befall me." Link agitatedly pointed to the mounted artillery archers patrolling the ramparts. "Yes, I have eyes, I can see them. You worry too much." The hero angrily clenched his hands and exhaled defeatedly. "Your mission is to rescue Aryll for the time being, paying a house call to Ganondorf is extremely dangerous but I know you will do it because you are a talented swordsman and you live for the thrill in life." The boat bumped against the stone pier. "If crossing swords with Ganondorf will make you feel alive, by all means go ahead, but remember, your life is precious to all of those who wait for your return. Understand?"

The boy clad in green blinked, assimilating the words. His life was precious, of course he understood but when Daphnes put it in such a way...

He thought of all the villagers waiting in Hyrule. He could not wait to return to them, to watch Colin's baby sister grow up. To hold her and the others and teach them to fish, to fight, to live. This time, he will officially join the resistance and work from the shadows to keep Hyrule safe. Working side by side with Fado and taking care of the goats was fun and Link would never forget the smell of pine needles, hay and the pathetic bleating of newborn kids.

His worries turned to Grandma and his sister Aryll, surely they would want him...the boy safe?

He threw his arms around the figurehead. "I told you I would take care of myself," he stated, "you don't have to worry about me giving my life to defeat Ganondorf, such nonsense is beyond me." Pressing his cheek against the salt scoured wood, Link continued, "I want to be totally honest, as much as I look forward going home, I also want to stay here, sailing the sea is a novel experience...therefore...I don't want you end up as a piece of brightly colored driftwood."

"I will not, rest assured." The King of Red Lions smiled, wood creaking. "You focus on rescuing Aryll and not getting another lasting injury, and I will be here, sitting on the waves." An odd, knowing gleam shone in the figurehead's eyes and Link knew Daphnes once again kept something from him. Giving the wooden mane a comforting squeeze, Link gathered his backpack and melted into the darkness.

And the rocking boat refused to tell him anything, however, Link smiled.

He trusted his companion.

* * *

Scampering up the short flight of stairs, the hero waited for the light to change spots before walking to the central platform of the Forsaken Fortress. He tensed, sensing malevolent energy churning in the air currents.

Griping the Master Sword, Link teased it out of its sheath and twirled it while scanning the clearing from all sides. The bokoblin on adjacent towers remained perfectly unaware of him and they manned the lights, moving the device according to a set pattern. The hairs on his nape stood on edge and Link whirled around, scything through a phantom. _A ghost? _He checked the blade edge for blood; the sword sliced through the midsection but remained free of bodily fluids. Whipping to the side, he dodged a sphere of crackling lightning and the blast blew chips of stone in the air.

Another bright blue ball of cyan followed the first one and swinging venomously, he lobbed it back to the apparition hovering almost a meter above the ground.

Playing ball with a ghost. Link swung harder, instead of cutting the orb of energy, his sword deflected it. The phantom glided closer with each consecutive strike and he gleaned details. A horned helmet, a frayed cape buckling in the wind and a giant sword covered in glowing, teal runes.

The orb of lightning bounced forth and Link lowered his aching arm for a second. In an instant, the ball rushed back and he quickly raised his arms and pelted it with all his might. Freezing sweat drops covered his forehead and his vision blurred. The growing breeze toyed with the end of his windsock-esque hat and Link clutched his sword with both hands and roared furiously. Sparks dissipated from the ball and it flew, nailing the phantom square on its head.

Wasting no time in celebrating small victories, Link covered the short gap between him and the ghost and slammed his blade beneath its chin. The specter glowed eerily and appeared to be sneering before diffusing into thin air.

_Where was it?_

Link tasted the air, instead of salt, anger weighed on his tongue. Racing across the stone tiles, he parried a broad blade just as it emerged from nothing.

Pushed back, it collapsed on the floor, dripping smoke and hate. Link lopped its head off with a well-timed spin and stabbed the dismembered head for good measure. The wind howled and he quickly pressed against the shadows for fear of being exposed. None of the bokoblin noted the furious battle conducted in the middle of the clearing and a chest appeared in place of the defeated phantom. One eye on the upper towers, Link slunk out of his hiding place and hooked his throbbing fingers beneath the chest's lid.

A skull hammer rested on a pile of ebony feathers. Eyebrow arched, he grabbed the new weapon and twirled it experimentally. The hammer tipped to one side and fell, crushing several tiles and barely missing Link's foot.

Smiling and slightly impressed, he hefted the hammer and advanced. A row of barbed stakes stood in front of him and the stairs; Link raised the weapon and brought it down, smashing the stake. Pieces of wire and wood exploded in the air. A thorn grazed his cheek as he pounded the second one and he rubbed the cut irritably.

A gap separated him from the next paved landing and mentally calculating the distance and the added weight of his hammer, Link concluded he will not make it. Not unless he plunged into an unknown gloom and shattered each and every bone in his body. The child shivered. Belting the hammer on his back, Link checked if he could quickly draw his sword and shield. Satisfied with the arrangement, he retrieved the Deku leaf and scowled.

The concept of a magic meter still eluded his understanding, how did he know when it ran out? Magic did not have a physical presence. Unlike his body which ached and numbed when he ran out of energy, the magic meter (assuming he _had_ one) ran out at inconvenient times and he feared the day it ground to zero while he floated in mid-air. Dying via flying without magic was not on his list of heroic deaths. Fishing the Pirate's charm from his woefully under stuffed wallet, he recalled a female voice guiding him the first time he woke in the Forsaken Fortress. Link tried to picture a face to the tone. Aryll? No, his sister was confined in a cell. Tetra? Highly likely given her boisterous attitude.

The stone lit up in a cyan glow and he shrunk into a slice of darkness cast by a barrel. "Is there something wrong?" Daphnes asked, booming voice bleeding from the stone and Link flinched.

Muffling the charm in his palm, he whispered, "Why do you always assume the worst when I call you?"

The boat laughed warmly. "You hardly call me, so I prepare for the worst when you do."

"Touché," Link grumbled. "In any case, I have a small gap to cross." He cast a sidelong glance at the three meter rectangle of nothing hanging between one platform and the other. "How can I tell if my magic meter is running on empty? I want to make sure if I can make it."

The boat listened attentively. "_You_ can't," he replied and Link regarded the blinking stone disbelievingly. "Only those highly attuned to magic can tell, which is not difficult for the Korok and those island residents seeking to cultivate their magic but for you my boy, it is practically impossible since you have no experience with magic." The hero gaped, his mind exploring possible strategies. "And need I remind you that you scoff at magic. Such narrow mindedness will hinder your connection to the natural energy running through the earth and great s-"

"I get it," Link cut in, "I'm hopeless." He peered over the barrel and rose when no monsters stalked by.

Holding the Deku leaf by its petiole and confronting the certain death waiting for him in the gap, Link waited for a favorable gust of wind. When it came, he jumped, reminiscing over his first, disastrous lesson with the acid tongued Korok. Floating, he held his breath, heart pumping in his ears. The other side seemed impossibly far away and Link dropped in altitude.

A sudden gust bolstered him upwards and he sighed in relief.

Boots anchored safely on solid stone, the boy gauged his progress. So far, he avoided being caught and the lights conveniently swung out of his way. Suspicious, he slunk around a corner and paused when a patrol of moblins kept watch over a door.

Aiming with his bow, he sunk the first arrow in an eye and the beast keeled soundlessly to its knees, tasseled spear falling in an unnaturally loud clatter. The noise altered the second, prowling moblin and the monster rushed back, sooty lantern swinging in a beefy paw. As it bent over its companion to investigate, Link raised his hammer behind the moblin and bashed its skull into the pavement.

Pink brain matter flecked the tiles and wiping his chest, the hero jumped over the mess on the floor and entered into the heart of the Forsaken Fortress.

A long hallway branched into several side rooms containing chests of rupees, weapons and caskets of food. Using the sword to break a chest lid, Link reviewed the goods critically. Loaves of stale bread, some mildewed, lay in a bread bin and coughing, he ransacked a box, spearing a rock hard biscuit and hurling it against the wall. It shattered like a ceramic brick. Piling a few of these impromptu weapons in his bag, he searched half empty barrels, nose wrinkling against the briny odor of salted fish. Carefully, he poked a hole through another barrel, holding his bottle to the stream of fresh water trickling through the planks.

Pottery vases painted with ochre and turquoise, huddled from the tiny human's wrath. Holding them by their delicately long necks, Link smashed them on the unforgiving ground. _Crash_. Pieces of jagged pottery lay beneath the glassless window. A couple of fairies flew out of one and lunging for them; Link stuffed the silver winged creatures in a transparent box and mentally noted to make a drink out of them later.

Flexing his sore fingers, he stole out of the room, coming face to face with a bokoblin smacking a nail studded club on its thigh. Man and monster gawked at each other for an instant and the olive skinned beast opened his mouth to scream.

A hard biscuit lodged in its throat, effectively cutting off the warning bellow. The bokoblin desperately clutched his neck, gurgling furiously. A clean incision across its jugular sprayed blood in the air and Link wiped his sword across the corpse's hide.

The elongated passage ended at another door crowded with stakes. The hero reduced the barrier into bits of wood and thorns and opened the door to a large tower. A cell dominated the floor, platforms bolted along the walls and lead to the roofless apex. Four torches brewed a fickle warmth to ward off the night's biting chill and Link squinted at his sister and two other girls huddled in the cage. No monsters bothered the girls and he craned his neck upwards, searching for the elusive Helmarock King.

The accursed bird swooped from nowhere the last time and interrupted his initial rescue of Aryll. Boots barely making a noise on the roughhewn stone, Link sidled along the curved walls. Reaching the wooden cell, he gripped the bars and reached for the young, blonde girl slumped in the dirt. She lay face down, hair streaked with grime and her once plump arms shrunk into bone covered skin.

Touching her gently, Link recoiled when Aryll jerked upwards, her eyes wide in fear. She clamped her hands over her mouth and stifled a frightened squeak. "Big brother?" Aryll uncertainly asked, hollow eyes ringed by blue. "Is that really you?" She sniffed and grabbed him tightly. "I thought the big bad bird killed you," the girl cried, pressing her face against the bars and Link gently pried her hands off his tunic. "What are you-?"

"Shh..." He put a finger on his lips and grappled with the padlock. "Stand back, I'm going to break the lock," Link warned and clasping her hands, Aryll shuffled backwards, pressing herself into a corner.

Bashing his sword against the lock, Link met shallow resistance; the implement popped and shattered, metal fragments clanged to the ground. The door to the cell creaked open on rusted hinges and Aryll flung herself at Link, sobbing uncontrollably. Hesitantly, he patted her head and when she looked up, large irises shining like wet ink, he hugged her tightly, pressing his face against her soiled head.

"Come on, let's leave this place together," Link whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around the quivering form of his skeletal sister. "I have a boat docked at the pier." He thought about Ganondorf and his sister crying her eyes out on his chest. "I'll escort you there and come back up-"

"NO!" Aryll screamed, grabbing him so tight he could barely breathe. "No, the last time you said so the bird...the bird took you." She sniffled. "Please, let's go home and forget about this place."

Stroking her head soothingly, Link wiped the tears cascading down her cheeks. "If I don't defeat the bird, there is always a chance it could come after you," he explained. "And I can't bear to have you taken away the second time. Grandma became very sick when both of us left and we can't do that to her can we?" Aryll nodded miserably. "You are very brave Aryll, to be stuck here for so many months, I'm proud of you." She beamed at her brother's words and stood on her tiptoes, giggling and exaggerating her height. Tilting his head, Link smiled, "and I think you grew a little..." Swallowing his words, he snapped to the entrance and pushed her behind his back.

Shrinking, Aryll stuck to him like a clam and gulped audibly.

"Is something wrong?" she mumbled as Link grew rigid, his hand grasping one of the numerous weapons heaved on his back. Her brother seemed more mature...and strong.

And Aryll felt uneasy.

It was _her_ fault he changed like this. Blood caked the hem of his tunic but nonetheless, she clung close to him and shivered.

"I hear voices, humans ones." Link withdrew his sword, a shining mirror of steel which briefly reflected Aryll's gaunt, horror stricken face. "Don't worry, I will protect you." He smiled. "But listen, when I tell you to let go of you, you do so, okay?" She nodded unhappily. "We will make it home Aryll," he promised, "me, you and Grandma, we will be together again."

Fire gushed in his veins and glaring at the door, Link dared anyone, _anything_, to come between him and his sister. When he broke the lock and Aryll rushed to him, warmth bled from his heart. An indescribable tenderness. The feeling simmered and waned and he desperately held on, savoring its strength.

The door creaked again, battered by a battering ram from the outside. Inside, the girls quivered and moaned, holding each other tightly and praying in breathless whispers.

An earsplitting crash announced the door ripping apart, the sound reverberated to the sky.

"Well, well, well..." Tetra sauntered in with a crew of smirking pirates. "Look what the fish dragged in." She grinned, winked and rested the business end of a muzzle on Link's forehead.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Unnatural Scream**

Armored scales, edged in gold, winked in late evening sun. The majestic dragon wheeled around the City in the Sky, wicked talons searching for a purchase on the building's smooth domes. Webbing wings beat a gale and rusted fan blades whirred listlessly before giving up. Powerful muscles rippling under a hide of charcoal, the terrifying dragon swooped under the airborne city and disappeared.

Ooccoo sighed. Ever since the masked man delivered the Twilight Mirror shard to them, he unleashed a shadow dragon to terrorize the residents. Hopefully the Hero of Twilight will deliver peace and the City in the Sky will maintain a constant communication with the surface dwellers.

Hyrule lacked sophisticated technology and the first order of things would be to remedy the situation.

A carpet of fluffy clouds drifted lazily beneath the gigantic city suspended in air and the sinking sun tinted them to a pleasant shade of salmon. Smiling at the beautiful scene, Ooccoo rotated and the grin vanished. Half flapping, half flying to the deck chairs assembled near a pool tiled in emerald granite, he impatiently squawked at the adolescent basking in the rays. A string of turquoise stones wreathed his neck and the hero stretched comfortably while a flock of Ooccoo waited on him. Adjacent to him and wearing a garland of Sky City hibiscus, Midna sipped from a tall glass rimmed with silver dust. She too, purred on a customized deck chair and once her drink finished, the imp crunched ice and ordered another one.

"A rose cocktail and make it fast." The Twilli snapped her fingers and the resident Ooccoo dashed to the makeshift bar.

"One for me too!" Link got up and dove into the pool, spraying a nearby bird from head to toe. "I also want a cocktail," he hollered through a mouthful of pond water.

"You can't drink a cocktail you under aged brat!" Midna exclaimed and the barman stopped mixing. "Give him an orange juice or something," she ordered and lay back down.

Fixing beady eyes at the adolescent completing laps in the gilded pool, Ooccoo's mind whirred, a _brat?_ The hero is at least twenty in human years and twenty is...although pitifully young compared to the other races, by human or even Hylian standards, he was of a mature age. Perhaps an adult. As Ooccoo contemplated, the sandy haired human pulled out of the pool, water dripping pearls from his body.

Leaving wet foot prints along the poolside, Link grabbed a towel, threw it over scarred shoulders and buzzed around, talking to other Ooccoo and trying his hand at mixing drinks. Under swaying palm fronds, he poured dollops of clashing cordials into a shaker and vigorously shook it whilst the barmen and maids cheered and flapped their wings. Midna opened an eye at the commotion and smiled, revealing a fang. Adjusting the necklace of crimson flowers, she sighed contently.

The ivory bird glared at her. "Do I need to remind you, Twilight Princess, that the Twilight Mirror shard is waiting to be rescued?" he asked crisply.

"No you don't," Midna leered at him, "but we all need a break don't we?" She grinned widely when a waitress presented her rose cocktail on a silver, engraved tray. "Thanks." She winked and fiddled with the cherry speared at the end of a stick. "Nice touch with the garnets around your chest," the Twilli complimented and conveniently ignoring Ooccoo, sipped her drink.

Unruffled, he roosted at the foot of her deck chair. "You and the Hero of Twilight have been here for one week, lazing at the poolside and the open air gardens whilst the City _rots_ because of the Mirror shard. One of our generating fans combusted right after you arrived. We don't have tim-" Link, holding a glass containing a rainbow of colors, stuck the straw in Ooccoo's mouth and gurgling, the bird spat the concoction out, face pulled into an ugly grimace. "What is that?" he pointed a wing at the cocktail, "poison?"

"Good job shutting him up!" Midna crowed. She and Link sniggered, directing devious gazes at the sputtering Ooccoo. "Calm down," the imp warped the dangerous cocktail into hyperspace and sat upright. "The legends say the Ooccoo are a peaceful race and I can see as such." The bird-human hybrids stood in small groups, chatting and sharing pleasantries. Dusk bowed, giving way to night and above, a giant moon shone. Midna reached for the pale white disc and her hand closed over nothing. "So how did Zant know about such a place? Sky City works independently and it's rumored not to exist, _I know_ about it thanks to Zelda." She briefly touched her chest. "The Hylian princess often read about fallen continents, apparently this place used to be known as Skyloft?"

Bored when talks turned to serious matters, Link stalked to the pool and sat on the edge, legs dangling in the cold water. Without the sun and so high up in the air, the City in the Sky turned into a freezing fortress at night.

The past week was bliss; he tugged the string of turquoise around his neck, but the constant comfort left behind a deep unease. A dissatisfaction. Standing, he passed Midna and Ooccoo, deep in conversation, and walked into a lavish tower. Wondering how the Ooccoo built the city (they didn't have hands, last time he checked) he entered a tiled foyer, pruned toes skipping across the geometric patterns on the floor. Shivering and climbing a bone white staircase, Link paused in front of his room and gold gilded door shunted aside. No matter how many times this happened, it always pleased him to see the door moving of its own accord and he paraded inside, head held high.

Dragging his feet across a fleecy rug, he collapsed on the large bed and hugged a feather stuffed pillow to his chest. Paintings hung on the walls, images of birds decked in regal regalia. An icy cold wind fluttered gossamer curtains and he shivered, burrowing deep under the dampening comforter. The sense of dissatisfaction evolved into crushing unease and rousing, he paced the room, eventually settling on a stone couch as the night wore on.

What was he doing? Hanging about in gardens and pools while Aryll starved in a dungeon?

Drying himself thoroughly, Link scrabbled through a wood and granite wardrobe and touched the Hero's tunic. The Ooccoo took it upon themselves to scrub it clean from blood, sweat, salt and other stains accumulated on the sacred clothing. Blinking back tears when his thoughts turned to the Hero's shade, he donned the tunic, strapped his sword and shield and retraced his steps back to the pool.

* * *

A meteorite.

No...

A large chunk of masonry fell from the dragon's claws. In the onslaught of danger, the Ooccoo froze, various degrees of panic evident in their rigid forms. The barman continued mixing his cocktails, unaware that the drink spilled out and stained his chest plumage. Ooccoo, beak open, gawped at the glint of silver talons and Midna's hair glowed orange.

"Midna, my ball and chain!" Link shouted and the weapon shot out of the warp hole. He swung it and the sphere sailed, meeting the projectile head on. Spikes shattered the pieces marble and it crumbled, plopping harmlessly on the ground and in water.

Relieved, the residents flocked around him, making strange noises of gratitude. Ooccoo perched on his shoulder, face paralyzed as beady eyes tracked Argorok's trajectory. The great dragon vanished but a flash of lightning burnt its silhouette beneath the eyes of the onlookers.

"Guide me around," The hero said. "I'm going to find the Twilight Mirror shard."

Ooccoo, free from the frightened spell, blinked. "Now?" he asked. The rest of the race tilted their heads at a precisely forty-five degree angle and looked expectantly at the human.

Link's eyes hardened. "Yes." The spiked ball rested at his feet. "Now."

The moon, looming larger than life, followed three individuals traversing a bridge choked with weeds. Sloshing through the sweet smelling grass, Link followed Ooccoo through a path of neglect and the trio halted at a sealed gate. Unlike the rest of the buildings in the city, the door did not automatically slide apart and the bird pointed to a diamond switch located in an above niche. Thinking about the Goron Mines and their impossible switch locations, Link sniped the device and the gate whirred open, raining soil. The foyer, tiled in eggshell white and light blue tiles, supported thick pillars. Ivy clung jealously against the columns and between the dense foliage, a jeweled clawshot target sparkled.

Marveling at the wind rushing from beneath his feet, Link pranced in whilst Ooccoo debriefed Midna on the historical reference of this particular tower. The human's boot landed on a blue tile and without warning, the tile gave under; one leg fell through the square space and the floor rammed against his groin. Screeching, he extracted himself, rolled across the ground and left large spaces in his wake.

Sputtering, Ooccoo fluttered after the gasping human; Midna floated, sighed and brought her hands together.

"Goddesses grant me patience," she prayed.

A helmasaur glared at the trio of peace breakers. Pawing the ground, it lowered its head and charged from behind a screen of silver and gold lattice. Turning, Link froze for a moment, death flashed before his eyes. Growling, he reached for his bow, weighed it against the metal capping the monster's head, and pulled out the sword instead.

The monster pounded, pace unrelenting. Dropping, Link rolled around the rampaging creature and sprung, sword effortlessly tearing through the tough leather across its back. The beast tottered forward, grunted and keeled to its side; Link furiously wiped his sword clean and scrubbed his tunic free from blood. Pressing his lips against the blade, an act confusing Ooccoo greatly, he sheathed it and followed his guide, claw-shooting overhanging, broken pillars.

Eroded stairs crawled with moss and ivy, giving it a mystical quality. Landing heavily on an alcove screened by a mesh gate, the hero lifted it up and paused. Whipping around, he sought for Midna, eyes wildly swinging from the steaming monster corpse, to the previous corridors unfolding like a bizarre trick room behind him.

"Where's Midna?" he asked and turned to Ooccoo who merely tilted his head, replying that the Twilight Princess asked to be left alone for a few seconds. The human froze. Grabbing the bird, he shook him roughly. "A few _hours!?_ Do you know she can't use her full powers? The monsters are gonna shred her!" Link hysterically launched off the nook and Ooccoo dove for him, snagging the back of his tunic.

"She will be fine." The words seeped through a mouthful of cloth. "Hero of Twilight, the Princess is far more formidable than you think, she went to search for the dungeon map."

"Why do we even need a map if we have _you?_" Thankfully, Link stopped trying to jump off and instead, threw his hands in the air. "I've been travelling with her for..." he counted on his fingers, "eleven months now and I _still_ don't understand what goes on in her head," he mumbled under his breath. Giving the chamber one last, poisoned glance, he reluctantly tailed Ooccoo to an outside corridor and gasped.

An ocean of silver clouds frothed beneath the gigantic propellers of the City in the Sky and giggling childishly, Link nimbly hopped over the cracked paving and leaned over the waist height balcony. Grinning, he plunged his hand in the sea of white and gasped again.

"So cold!" Link informed, his innocent joy infectious. Perching delicately on the worn sandstone, Ooccoo drunk the ethereal moonlight and gazed below. "So cold and beautiful." Link leaned further, frigid fingers trailing in the icy vapor. The ancient wall gave under his weight and he plunged, smile transforming into an appropriate mask of terror.

A length of chain flashed under moonlight. A silver serpent anchored into the wall. Plaster crumbled and heart demanding to be let out of his ribcage, Link climbed up, still not quite believing he managed to save himself. Goosebumps rose along his skin and freezing sweat plastered his fringe. Shivering uncontrollably, Link huddled close to the safe side of the outdoor corridor and panted.

The fans under the city whirred, breaking the carpet of fluffy clouds into smaller patches.

Flapping to Link's feet, Ooccoo shook his head. "I understand why the Princess addresses you as a child. Your actions put you and everyone around you in danger. How many times have the Princess rescued you from such happenings?" the ivory bird asked and pointed to the crumbling stone wall. "I did warn you about such hazards, pay more attention." Pouting, Link petulantly drank a comforting bottle of fresh milk and walked over a slot. Pausing, he pointed to the metal teeth lining it. "It housed a gear used to turn these corridors," Ooccoo related wistfully, his necklace of turquoise glimmering. "But the device rusted beyond hope and hope dwindles." The bird launched into a monologue of the grandeur of Sky City and as he rambled, Link worked through an apple, a sandwich which he sniffed vigorously before stuffing in his mouth and cleaned the gear thoroughly, wiping the dirt on his pants.

"It looks like I can fit my spinner into it," he announced. "Midna has my spinner; can you get her for me?"

Ooccoo regarded the hero and deciding he was not pulling one of his distasteful pranks, warped in a shower of light.

Alone, the adolescent continued digging the dirt around the gear and suddenly rocketed to his feet.

A storm, he could smell it. The clouds were pregnant with water and thunder danced, waiting to be unleashed. Feeling very alone, Link hummed a tune and desperately prayed for Ooccoo and Midna to hurry up. The air crackled around him and he clutched his gale boomerang.

A stocky tail, covered in plates of ebony, glided past him. The metal spiked end bashed against the sandstone railing and the structure crumbled. The dragon lifted higher in the sky and the menacing tail disappeared just as Ooccoo returned.

"I leave for you for one and a half hour and the bird tells me you almost died. _Twice_." The imp snapped and Link scowled at her, face white with fear. Clucking her tongue scornfully, she hammered the spinner in its slot and pointed a tiny finger at it. "Get it moving, we don't have an eternity." Gulping his fear and resentment, the adolescent meekly did as commanded and the grating scream of stone filled his ears. The trio wildly searched the area, seeing nothing in the cover of gloom. "Keep going," Midna ordered and floated higher and Link's heart kick-started, he frantically grabbed her foot while she stared confusedly at him. "A dragon?" the Twilli scoffed, revealing a menacing set of zigzagged teeth. "Don't be such a baby; remember you will be fighting that thing."

Oh, right. The human deflated and poured all his energies to spinning the spinner.

Cutting across the midnight fog, a stone bridge rotated in place.

Having his initial euphoria cut short by the horrifying reminder of death, Link was not keen to visit the dilapidated outside corridors any more. Some of the overhanging gardens grew wild without proper maintenance and he jumped at the leafy shadows, convinced monsters lurked in there. The cold nipped his nose and fingers, reminding him of the cruel province of Snowpeak.

Yeta's untimely demise renewed an ache in his chest and for the next few hours, Link worked silently, lost in the prehistoric metropolis of grey and white stone. He tried picturing the floating city at the pinnacle of its glory and his eyes misted. Aryll and Grandma will never be able to lay eyes on the same scenes he did. And he could not capture the vistas in a pictograph; no one in Hyrule seemed to know what a pictobox was. Head lost in the bewildering clouds of life, Ooccoo and Midna alternately flew and floated in front of him, discussing topics he would rather tune out of.

A large, engraved tile under his feet wobbled and he looked, eyebrows arched. The tile exploded, throwing him flat on his back and a tile worm emerged, body long and pink and utterly _gross_. Rolling to his feet, Link dispatched the menace with two consecutive arrows and beamed when Midna appraised him.

The Twilli rotated and for the briefest of moments, Link spied an unreadable emotion on her face.

* * *

Ooccoo's vivid account of the City in the Sky proved to be a welcome distraction from her turbulent thoughts. The human threw a mini tantrum before confronting the Aeralfos but once he finished, the stubborn tears and pout receded as he waved the double clawshots. The proud gleam in his eyes immediately dimmed and he squinted at her, pupils dilating and contracting. Hovering away from his wolfish gaze, Midna put her hand over her heart and concentrated.

Her eyes flew open when Link appeared behind her and she knocked a fist on his nose.

"Give a woman some privacy," she snapped and he rubbed his nose pitifully. "You are as shameless as ever." The Twilli warped to the moss veined ceiling and discovered a non-working fan plugging the hole. Mold and dust caked the blades and she carefully navigated through. Seconds later, Link clawshot his way to upwards and without sparing him a glance, she trailed Ooccoo.

Worried about the hollow expanding in her chest, the Twilli pressed her hand against her sternum and held her breath.

Nothing.

She no longer felt Zelda's divine presence dwelling within her.

Again, Link's sun kissed face popped in her personal space and she recoiled, her back against the stone walls. "There is something wrong with you," he mumbled. "You keep on staring off into space."

They arrived in an industrialized chamber. Pillars, broken bodies gilded in gold dust, hung from the ceiling; intricate carvings covered the tops and ruby targets winked in predawn light. A large section of the wall fell into ruin and ivy attacked the masonry, breaking them into porcelain dust. The sun peeked over a foam of clouds and Midna shielded her eyes from the light.

"I'm appreciating the scenery." She swept her arms. "Everything here is a work of art," the Twilli declared and pointed to the floor, "those tiles are hard stone, imagine the amount of effort it took to carve them up like that." Her gaze turned to the door frames. "Those too, so artistic." She grinned with forced cheerfulness and leaving Link to puzzle on her situation, she floated on.

Spearing a target, the hero adjusted the length of the chains and swung from a pillar to the air. A breeze, growing pleasantly warm and fragrant, skimmed through his fringe and he landed on another decorated alcove.

"We are stepping outside," Ooccoo warned and Link hooked his fingers beneath a long forgotten door.

Groaning, he pushed it upwards and the residing insects took flight. They emerged on a high clearing and looked down to a field of green. Broken stone walls bordered the garden and trailing plants with magenta blossoms, hungrily converged on the walls. A flock of peahats slowly spun over the magnificent, albeit neglected garden and a lattice of golden chains spread from the remains of a once proud tower jutting over the center. Sunlight painted the sandstone bricks into amber and gold and Link stared, they looked like the curtains in the kitchen back home.

"This was one of our central gardens," Ooccoo gestured to the walled off spaces at the end of the chains, "we grew gum trees and obtained frankincense from the plots on the southern end. The resin is normally burned as incense in the little altars inside the City and we thank the Goddess Hylia for keeping our city afloat. Also, these towers used to serve as a place for learning light magic..." He trailed off, imagining younger chicks chirping and running around the enclosure, beads of amber flashing around their necks. The trees were harvested thrice every year and no ugly monsters inhabited the place.

Floating to the chains, Midna examined them and twisted to see Link spearing the peahats and agitating them. When the swarm gathered and rushed for him, he let loose a storm of arrows, slashing the organic rotors off their heads. The monsters plummeted to the ground, squirming pathetically in overgrown weeds. Stowing the bow, the human stupidly searched for a way to cross the chains and she rested on the tower, clinging to a jutting steeple.

The world spun in dizzying circles and Midna blinked to make it stop.

Her hands trembled as she came to an awful conclusion.

Zelda was gone. Ripped from her by some unseen, evil force.

And without the light bolstering her, the Twilight Princess' skin color leeched, reducing her to a pale shadow.

Clammy hands slipped off the steeple and eye rolling upwards, she plunged head first to weed choked ground below.

* * *

**A/N:** Ah Tetra, always popping up when you least expect her. I like her rough and tough attitude and the fact she is a pirate queen is an added bonus. Midna is again in danger and Link is thinking about Aryll. The driving force behind WW was different, this time it was personal.

My parents are overprotective and overly strict. My older brother rebelled from my Dad's authority and got kicked out of the house. Did the rest of us learn? Nope. Resistance is futile; however, that small bit of pushing back is what makes us feel alive.

Whoa, that was kinda depressing. Read and review people, constructive criticism is appreciated and so are random comments. Don't be shy.

Btw, I didn't die.

At FateVoid: Thank your for your kind comment.

Gratitude to FateVoid, IPSniffer, Lizardon02 and ZeldaBrowser for liking the story, hope it lives up to your standards.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**Hissing sea of static**

His first instinct was to grab the falling imp with the clawshot. No such luck, the metal hooks will tear through her tiny, pale white body and she'll go splat.

Splat is not good.

The second thing he noticed was her skin color. When he first met her, Midna scared him senseless. When she smiled, an overgrown fang often protruded from beneath her top lip, making her appear as a deranged demon (which to some extent, described her perfectly). The Twilli's skin melded whale fat white and black together and teal veins ribbed her body. Now, as she fell, the black disappeared into the sun, smoking out of her in a thin stream and dark clouds smothered the City in the Sky.

A storm.

Journeying to Hyrule Castle exhausted him. The sacred wolf ran without thinking, only one goal in his mind. Rough grass and the bony remains of recently decomposed monsters, tore through his paw pads but he did not allow himself any rest. Laying on his back, Midna's breath grew feeble. She slipped.

And he tried to grab hold of her desperately.

Howling, Link launched off the platform. _Stupid,_ his mind admonished as the stone ledge vanished from under his legs and a long fall awaited him. Time slowed or maybe his heart stopped beating. He did not care. The clawshot triggered, a length of chain snaked through the air, spearing through the ancient tower's unstable walls. He swung through the air, arm outstretched for the falling Princess but...

But...

Gloved fingers missed the unconscious Midna. Link felt her freezing skin but could not grab hold of her.

The Helmarock king, tail feathers blinding.

Glinting claws fastened on Aryll's shoulder. Nausea prompted bile to rise in his throat and Link swallowed, hanging uselessly. Hanging limply as she plunged into the afterlife.

Strange, he touched the corners of his eyes. No tears. He bit his lip. The tears will come later, he knew, and once they start, they will keep on haunting him for the rest of his life. Unable to bear much weight, the tower wall crumbled and the clawshot's metal hooks dislodged along with a triangular wedge of stone. A flash of ebony scales slithered through the cloud cover and Link fell as the first drops of rain touched his face.

He closed his eyes.

_I'm sorry Grandma...Aryll._

An Ooccoo grabbed hold of him, digging sharp talons into padded shoulders and flying him to safety, he landed in a familiar alcove and the bird disappeared. Warping to Nayru knew where. Alone, Link watched the rain create a silver curtain, shaking, he squatted to the floor and buried his head in his arms.

"If you have time to mope, I suggest you help me save her." Ooccoo flapped on to the landing, ivory wings glittering with raindrops. He deposited Midna on the cold floor and Link froze, not quite believing his eyes. Slowly, he poked her puffed abdomen and snatched his hand back. She still breathed! "There is an imbalance in the energy inside her...although it is really strange. Her Twilight magic is disproportionate," Ooccoo blubbered, coherent speech punctuated by the occasional gobble. "Pump her chest, make sure her heart does not stop," the bird instructed and wiping away the tears threatening to blur his vision, Link crouched over the inert form of Midna, careful not to crush her delicate bones. "She seems to be suffering from a tragic loss in magical power," Ooccoo tilted his head, "and it is _strange_ that the power sustaining her is light. It does not make sense."

Link put his ear closer to the Twilli's mouth, desperately hoping he did not imagine her stronger inhalations. "Princess Zelda," he explained, "she said Zelda lived in her, in her chest." He recounted the episode. "She lost all her powers before and Zelda sacrificed herself to bring her back from a near death experi...Aackk!"

A glowing demon hand wrapped around Link's neck and lifted him to the air. Gurgling, Link wrestled with the vise grip around his throat, legs thrashing wildly. The Twilli's headpiece glowed eerily and alarmed, Ooccoo backed off, a shield of white energy automatically surrounding him. Color bled back to Midna's body, head first and the grip around the Hero's throat strengthened. Lungs burning, he wrapped his legs around the demon arm and squeezed vehemently. To his relief, the deadlock loosened and he pulled the tangerine limb away.

Unsheathing his sword, Link hesitated, but the hair hand groped wildly and he swung, cutting it into half. Strands of ginger hair littered the floor and his boots and Midna sat up, glowering at him angrily.

"That was my glorious shock of hair you butchered, imbecile," she scathed and wobbled to her feet. Crouching, Link lent an arm to steady her and her tiny fingers dug into his biceps. "Zelda is gone," she informed, saffron eye downcast in sorrow. "Someone ripped her away from me and the sudden loss led to this." Her grip turned painful. "Link, we have to save her, my intuition tell me Ganondorf got ahold of her and that brute..." Spitting a curse, she whirled to the human. "If he dare lays his hands on her I will..._I will."_ She clapped her hand over her mouth and breathed deeply.

A pair of warm arms encircled her and Link embraced her tightly, willing all the warmth in his body to seep into her cold one.

Thunder flashed overhead, illuminating the sky in a blinding pall of light. "We will save her," he reassured in a low voice. "We will find Ganondorf and put and to him." And then what? His mind asked. The Twilli struggled in his tight hug but he did not want to let go. What if she went all white again and they were too late to save her? "Midna, maybe you should rest in my shadow." She glowered at the suggestion and pulled his cheek painfully. "I'm serious; you don't have Princess Zelda's protection anymore and..."

She cut him off by sailing to the open air. "Hmph, I have my fused shadows back thanks to a certain idiot who couldn't stay away from me." Midna smiled suggestively and Link clenched his fists, anger roaring through his veins. "Don't worry," she patted the fuming hero's shoulder, "I won't overdo it this time, but seeing your panic stricken face certainly does have its benefits!" The Twilli crowed and Link's cheeks inflamed.

How_ dare_ she make fun of his worry.

The leer faded. "Time is not on our side, this is the final mirror piece and after this," she turned and Link swore he spied a teardrop in the corner of her large eye, "I can finally go home."

Link wondered why his stomach dropped. It did not have to do anything with the drizzle dampening his fur and certainly the height did not faze him. The sacred wolf put one paw in front of the other and Midna gripped the fur on his back, keeping steady. Scaling the chains in a clockwise motion, he touched the familiar texture of granite and he arched his back. The shadow crystal eased from his forehead and he handed it to Midna.

Determination burning a fire in her eyes, the Twilli sped off, conferring with Ooccoo in raised voices which bounced from all sides. Large fans rotated in the walls of a well-kept chamber and a flock of Ooccoo greeted them as they traversed. Giant screens of wire mesh, fixed to pillars of alabaster, rotated under a triple height ceiling. The entire area smelled of ozone, metal and bird feathers.

Wrinkling his nose, Link poked his stomach, maybe he was hungry. Finishing an orange and wiping sticky fingers on his tunic, he earned the admiration of many Ooccoo as he clung to the metal meshes and navigated through the gushing, wind turbines. One of the fan blades nearly sliced his leg in half but the crippling threat seemed trivial to the weight lodged in the pit of his stomach. Swallowing did nothing. Eating only gave him indigestion; nonetheless, he crammed a handful of biscuits, burped and trailed behind the chattering duo.

A long corridor, miraculously intact, led him to an open field of knee high grass. Towers of metal, their front covered in pewter mesh, cordoned the field in four corners and there, Ooccoo and Midna stopped. The bird indicated the towers with his wing and despite the resolute smirk on Midna's face, Link felt like the gathering storm clouds. Angry and confused. Poking his turbulent stomach one last time, he sprinted towards them, head snapping up when an ominous shadow passed over the ground.

Framed by forks of white thunder, the Twilight Dragon announced its appearance with an ear shattering roar. Clapping hands over his ears, Link trembled and glared at the ebony dragon. Sleek and body protected by plates of armor edged in gold, Argorok inspired terror.

Heat in his glare melting, Link understood the foreboding feeling lying in the pit of his stomach.

The Twilight Realm.

He did not want Midna to go home.

* * *

Argorok flapped webbed wings; the resulting gale nearly blew Link off the clearing and anchored himself with the clawshot. The iron boots lay a mere meter from him and Midna sought refuge in his shadow. Warping to the safety of Sky City's domed enclosures, Ooccoo left Link to battle the elements and a blood thirsty dragon with teeth the size of fingers.

The clawshot's metal anchor ripped up from the ground, along with a clump of clay and grass.

Battered like a withered leaf in the gale, Link scrambled on top of the iron boots and numbly tugged them on. Hair poked his eyes and they teared. Upright, he squinted at the dragon, freezing when the monster's presence loomed larger than life.

Argorok blitzed towards the insignificant speck, tucking its wings, the dragon dove forward, maw opened wide to swallow Link whole. Immobilized, the hero stared in dismay at his boots, fumbled with one and then the other and squeaking, rolled to the side, barely avoiding the dragon's salivating jaws. Shaken, he wiped a film of water from his face and dragged his leaden legs across the field.

"Use the clawshot to move around," Midna suggested.

The mesh on the four towers provided for ample holds, but Link did not want to be fried by lightning. Thunder rumbled in the great underbelly of the clouds and the drizzle increased into a lashing downpour. Churning mud, Link waded to the stone paved areas and his fingers gripped the tower. Argorok eluded him, melting into the sheet of grey, unforgiving rain.

A thick, stocky tail snaked into his vision; it dug into the tower and uprooted a chunk of stone. Breathing heavily, Link crouched and searched. The tunic stuck to his body like a soggy, wet blanket of cotton and metal and his shoulders ached. Toes numb inside the iron boots, he confirmed the dragon's presence on the other side of the city and turned to the tower.

A fork of lightning lit the sky, blinding him. Teeth gritted in determination, he clawed his way up the tower. Rain, more like water spears, slashed his face.

The perilous climb cut short.

A sickening blow caught Link on his side; the tail cut through his chainmail and rebounded on snapped ribs. Punched out of breath and dizzy with pain, he tore off the grill, flying sideways with flailing arms. Screaming, Link depressed the clawshot and the length of chain wrapped around the dragon's tail. Giddy with relief and blood running pale pink rivulets down his pants, Link held on for dear life as Argorok flapped and buckled, trying to dislodge the trailing nuisance.

It flew close to the ground and legs dangling half a meter above the treacherous landscape of mud, Link grabbed his sword. His eyes flicked, searching for a suitable stabbing place. Neck, stomach or heart? Argorok's undersides were not protected with shiny black armor but the tough leather skin, did not pierce easily. Giving up on trying to penetrate the heart, he slashed the throat.

The monster screeched, the noise throbbed in Link's ears. Bright red blood sprayed his chest and grimacing, Link let go when the tops of his boots kissed ground. Flipping around and clipping the human's face with a wing claw, the Twilli dragon peeled to the skies. Gingerly touching the gouged section of his cheek, Link limped to the nearest tower and the smell of burnt grass hit his nostrils.

He sneezed.

Burnt grass? _Fire?_

The sword fell from his weak grasp. A barrier of dancing flames fought against the downpour and his eyes inched up, up to the dragon spouting flames.

So, Link numbly thought, all those _fairy tales_ about princess being locked up in a castle with a fire breathing dragon held some element of truth in it.

The flames' intense heat scorched his body and Link shivered. Steam screened the dragon but no matter, wherever he went, Argorok made sure to follow. Swinging from one tower to the other, Link blinked when a shadow followed him. Changing direction in midstride, he charged for the dragon and drowned Midna's urgent yowling in his head.

Numbskull she called him, but if he pulled his off correctly, the monster will be gone for good.

Swinging past the speeding dragon, Link kissed the Master Sword and tasted blood from a lacerated lip. Holding the blade sideways, he scythed through the thick neck and his weapon juddered to a stop by the nape's armor plates. Muscles burning and suspended between a dying dragon and the clawshot's thin chain, he let go, plummeting to the ground with a steaming carcass.

Mud covered him from head to toe and he recovered the sword from Argorok's shriveling corpse. Clutching his side, he carefully slid down the steaming monster. Trampled grass and soil and the sky melded together, like one of Aryll's abstract paintings. Link toppled, legs buckling underneath him. Before his head collided with mud, Midna caught him.

"That was reckless," she admonished and set to work, pulling his belt off and rolling up the tunic to inspect damages. "This needs stitches, constant dressings and almost two weeks of bed rest." The imp sighed. "I suppose the journey home could wait." Nearby, the dragon imploded into little squares of black and the clouds vacuumed the malicious energy. Midna wrapped her hand around the barely conscious Link and instead of whimpering at his injuries, he grinned widely. "What are you smiling about?" she asked, alarmed. Could he be losing it again?

Thankfully, he did not crackle madly but the disturbing smile stayed on his face. The human became limp and yet, his lips curved amiably.

A small smile of achievement, Midna exhaled. He deserved it.

* * *

Barely two days later, he lounged in bed, shoveling porridge cooked with raisins and nuts. The Ooccoo waited on him constantly and flew off to accommodate Link's numerous whims and fancies. Several times, he asked for the room to be remodeled and watched, dissatisfied, as the ivory birds relocated his stone and wood wardrobe, pushed the alabaster bench till he nodded and thereafter pulling it back. Artist Ooccoo produced artwork, one which depicted Link fighting the dragon. The painting, framed in precious garnet, hung above his head and snarling, Link took it off and asked Ooccoo to dispose of it.

The adolescent paced constantly, around the pool, in his luxurious bedroom, in the temple foyer and disturbed the Ooccoo observing ceremonial rites. Light magic burned within the furnaces and wiping sweat from his brow, Link crammed in the tiny room, where the bellows forged works of silver and bronze. Picking an ornamental dagger, he tossed it in the air curiously and caught it by its ruby hilt. Another toss and the blade reflected sunlight streaming from a gilded window.

The weapon landed in his palm and pearls of blood sprang a neat, incised line.

Holding the stinging palm, he sought for Midna. Frowning when he missed her near a crumbling sundial, Link still did not understand how they operated; he retraced his steps to Sky City's administrative building.

Covered in trailing ivy blooming with violet flowers, the sandstone building glimmered. The dome, leafed in alabaster, shone blindingly white and leaving a trail of blood drops in his wake, the hero pushed the door aside to see Midna and Ooccoo deep in conversation. _What did she find so fascinating anyway?_ The City in the Sky was an ancient, crumbling relic but bathed in shadows cast by an alcove, Midna's single eye shimmered with life. Stalking towards the duo conversing in hushed tones, Link made sure they heard ever loud boot stomp.

"We can leave for Twilight by tomorrow." Midna giddily shot to the air and clasped his shoulders. "Are you alright? You look like you swallowed something sour," the Twilli sang and twirled. "Home at last, I can retake my rightful throne and," she glanced at Link, smiling coyly and he scowled, "with my full magic and the combined effort of both Twilight and Light, I will search for a way to take you back home." Brushing her fingers tenderly across a bandage over his cheek, Midna sank back to the ground, her hand resting atop her chest. Her lips parted, but thinking the better of it, she grinned in her usual, crazy fashion and faced Ooccoo.

"I cut my palm." Link crushed the beginnings of a new conversation between the two. "It hurts." He flexed his fingers. "Those stitches on my fingers are stinging as well."

Ooccoo perched on his shoulder and examined the incision. "Nothing I can't fix," the bird ruffled his feathers and the wound melted into his flesh. The pain disappeared and left nothing.

Not even a scar.

Glowering angrily at the bird, Link stiffly thanked Ooccoo and slunk back to the sunlit terrace. Dropping into a bench, he listlessly munched on a bunch of grapes, courtesy of a passing Ooccoo and touched the rows of turquoise stones threaded around his neck. The city stopped degenerating. Since Argorok died, no spontaneous combustion of the fans took place and Hylia showed her favor by granting a spell of fair weather. The resident Ooccoo thanked the Goddess and prepared for the eventual contact with humans. The Old temple underwent re-construction and the birds flapped to and fro, leaving white feathers dancing in the air.

Slouching, Link stopped eating, preferring to crush the grapes and stain his fingers with juice. The plan to delay Midna backfired spectacularly, thanks to Ooccoo. Twisting a grape, the adolescent thought of other ideas. Princess Zelda needed saving, but Ganondorf resided in the realm of Twilight. Shoulders sagging, he heaved to his feet and paced.

What could he try next? Something not too distracting, he still needed to get rid of Ganondorf and an extended holiday will sap his will and strength. Link wondered if anything could dissuade Midna from wanting to go back home but the only person who could sway her, was in the very center of the accursed land.

Giving up, he reclined in the shade of an overhanging wisteria and absentmindedly tore the lavender blossoms from the tree.

A team of Ooccoo rolled a sky cannon in place. Curious, he walked to the work site, standing silently as they assembled the cannon.

"This will take you back to Hyrule," one of the Ooccoo explained and Link grinned at the information.

Muttering amongst themselves, the flock of birds left and he climbed into the cannon. The barrel accommodated him comfortably and he triggered the switch, exploding out of the muzzle and spearing through puffy clouds.

Ears perking at the muffled boom, Midna sat up straight, cutting Ooccoo off when he described Sky City's economic developments. She floated to a window and stared into the disarming quietude beyond. The lush greenery calmed her and she hovered back to a small desk overrun with parchment and ink.

"Oh yes," the Twilli commented, "it's nearly lunch time, make sure to feed Link properly, he throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his food."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Black and deep desires**

_Wasn't she the girl big brother saved in the Fairy Forest?_ Aryll thought back. She remembered a giant ship. A pirate's ship, and a girl falling in the forest.

_So why was she holding a gun to big brother's forehead? _The young girl could not understand.

The pirates fanned around their leader and Link observed them. The King of Red Lion's tipped them off, he concluded, when a Pirate's charm dangled around Nico's neck. Nico examined the hexagonal room and while the rest of Tetra's entourage paid the utmost attention to her, only he seemed fidgety.

The muzzle pressing against Link's head began to hurt, but escaping with the kidnapped girls and Aryll without killing most of the pirates was impossible. The first mate, by the looks of his broad shoulders and close proximity to Tetra, held a cutlass and silver moonlight winked off the curved blade. Hairy forearms, tattooed, bulged with muscles and the men leered.

Trembling, Aryll peeked from behind Link's back, her palms sweated, her stomach twisted into knots but she released her vise grip and stood next to her brother. He shot her a warning look but Aryll lifted her chin.

"Big brother saved you in the Fairy Forest," she declared, voice shaking. Surprised, Tetra titled her head sideways, to study the scrawny girl covered by threadbare clothes. "Let him go." Aryll clenched her teeth. She will not cry.

The musket lowered from Link's forehead and he irritably rubbed a ring shaped bruise.

"You are a very brave girl," Tetra said and winked. Her pirates relaxed and swarmed over the cell, smashing wood into bits and pilfering food crates. Cheers reverberated when they discovered a casket full of silver rupees and jewels. "One of my boys told me I should come here," the captain twirled her gem encrusted gun, "there is a lot of treasure, but that's not the reason why I'm here."

Link glared at her, hand automatically reaching for his sword. Jamming her weapon in a custom leather holster, Tetra snapped her fingers. Reluctantly, Nico peeled away from a wall and rounded the imprisoned girls, talking to them gently and ushering them towards Tetra.

"I'm actually here for them." She squeezed the girls' shoulders comfortingly and one burst into tears. "Oh dear, I'm not here to _sell_ you people to slavery or something," the captain clarified, "I'm here for a rescue mission, of course I'll be rewarded handsomely." The female pirate grinned and called her first mate over. "Gonzo, escort these girls to our ship, make sure they are well fed and taken care of." The hulking man saluted and the girls followed him, light footsteps echoing on stone.

Glancing upwards, Link failed to see any sign of the Helmarock King, the pirates created a racket and he protectively grabbed Aryll's hand when Tetra made a move towards her.

"Aryll is coming with me," the captain stated, crossing arms over her navy blue jacket. "We will sail for the girls' homelands and return them to their family, no exceptions. Outset Island in the far south, it will take time to get there but I give you my word to get Aryll back to safety," Tetra solemnly announced. No mischief danced in her coal irises and for once, she did not wear a teasing smile. "Nico has an informant, I'm sure you know who I'm talking about," she jabbed a thumb at the young pirate, "and he arranged this. You want to meet Ganondorf upstairs right?"

Keeping a death grip on his sister's skeletal hand, Link regarded her with more suspicion. Tetra knew about Ganondorf...the scrolls in her trunk, of course. A harsh cry split the night air and his eyes snapped upwards, catching the end of a multicolored tail. The Helmarock King. Tetra's movements became urgent, she rounded her men and they filed out the door, screaming at each other and balancing giant treasure chests. Again, she implored for Aryll and Link's lips pulled back into a snarl.

"You can take my sister over my dead body," he hissed and Aryll jumped. Loosening his death grip, he pulled her closer to him, "I failed to save her the first time and now, I'm taking her back to Outset _myself_. Thanks for the offer but no thanks." The Pirate's charm in his pocket beamed and lip curled in anger, Link refused to answer it. "Come on," he held Aryll protectively, "we're going home." Without a backward glanced, he marched forward, herding his sister away from a waiting Tetra.

The young girl glanced back and forth between her brother and the pirate captain and bobbing her head apologetically, followed Link towards the door.

"You have the Master Sword." Link stopped. "That means you must face Ganondorf and use it to get rid of him." Tetra's voice boomed loud in his ears. Gonzo appeared in the doorway, casting a giant's silhouette on the floor. "Take her," the captain commanded and snarling, Link lunged for the first mate.

A palm thrust to his nose shoved him backwards and tottering from the blinding pain, he fell to the ground. Hoisting Aryll by the waist, Gonzo threw her across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and the young girl screeched, beating his broad back with feeble fists.

"Leave," Tetra ordered.

Aryll stopped struggling. It was no use. The man's beefy arm clamped around her like a noose and wriggling only hurt her. On the floor, Link rubbed his temples furiously and hauled to his feet. He smoothly withdrew a long, shiny blade and charged.

"Give my sister back!" the boy bellowed, blade teasing a line of blood from Gonzo's calf. "Or I'll cut you up into fish-bait."

Tetra clutched her dagger and tensed while the first mate's eyes trailed on the line of crimson oozing into his shoes. Turning, limp, Aryll stared at her brother.

Was that really him? Scowling so furiously?

"Do I need to make another example?" Link hissed and flicked his sword free. "Return Aryll to me or else..." The threat hung, more potent than the Helmarock King's ear splitting squawks. The chamber trembled and Link spared the wooden beams a disgusted glance. "What will it be?" he addressed Tetra, "either give my sister back or you will have one less pirate mouth to feed."

"Big brother," Aryll called and the furious glower dropped, he quickly sheathed his sword and raised his arms. "It's okay," the girl said and the brother's arms dropped in disbelief. Smiling, Aryll continued. "I trust Ms Tetra..." _Ms?_ Link snorted, more like pilfering war monger. "And I understand you must get rid of the Helmarock King...you wanted to do so didn't you?" Aryll asked and jaw set, Link glowered at his disheveled boots. "Big brother, I love you and don't worry, I'll be safe." The young girl waved and before the boy changed his mind and came after him with another weapon; Gonzo retreated with a lingering Tetra on his heels.

The pirate captain waited by the door and eyed the forlorn figure inside the room. "You know, when I met you again in Windfall Island, you struck me as odd...like someone else possessed you," she touched her dagger, "but, after seeing you with your sister, I suppose you just matured." A golden half triangle winked at her neck. "Good luck with that thing flying on top of your head." She winked and disappeared just as the entire room vibrated again and chunks of masonry dislodged from above and clogged the door.

Mind numb, Link mechanically flitted to the edge of the hexagonal chamber and hopped on a wooden platform. The landing immediately gave way under him. Huffing, he vaulted to the next one and the wall cracked, dousing him with a jet of water. Irritably wringing water off his tunic, Link hurtled upstairs, mind a scramble. He thought about the King of Red Lions, engineering such an elaborate plot.

Plumes of brightly colored feathers soared in his vision and he focused his turbulent feelings into vanquishing the monster.

His foot landed forcefully on a bridge of stone and it disintegrated. He remembered scrambling for a foothold when the ancient, basalt steps gave way under him in Hyrule Castle. Flailing, Link hooked his fingers on brick landing and skin rubbed raw, he pulled himself up.

A powerful sea breeze toyed with his hair, the burning chill seeped into his bones.

The Helmarock King soared above him, fixing beady eyes on the tiny human brandishing a silver sword. Diving, the bird stopped short and rose in the air again. An arrow bounced off its beak and a second one sunk deep in the monster's wing. The rest fell short of glinting talons and swooping downwards, the Helmarock King thrust its neck forward, beak aimed to spear prey.

Rolling to the side, breath squeezed out of his chest, Link ducked when the monster brushed close. Talons lacerated his back. Straightening, Link whirled, the sword sliced through air and came to a clanging halt on the metal capped beak.

Blinking owlishly, he regarded the sword mistrustfully and a violent gust of wind toppled him off his feet. Tottering, he wiped his bloodied nose and gingerly felt the grit caked stripes on his back.

Assured by the hammer's weight, Link's tracked the Helmarock King's trajectory.

The monster teased him, flapping out of reach and raining midnight feathers on the ground. Patiently, the boy followed, grip tightening when the bird dove at high speed. It landed on the clearing, feet uprooting tiles. Link yelled a war cry and smashed the hammer on the beak. The monster screeched, its cry of pain echoing for miles.

Ears ringing, Link struck again. Bits of bone and metal bounced against Link's forehead and he let the hammer drop on the Helmarock King's neck. A sickening crunch skewed the bashed head into an unnatural angle and a clump pulverized skin hung loose.

Wiping microscopic pieces of bone and tissue fluid, the boy gasped. The night's fog returned, oozing into the fortress and distorting the search lights into huge, orange blooms. Sucking in air, he wiped the hammer on the bird's dull plumage and unsheathed the Master Sword. Comparing the two weapons, Link re-holstered the sword and held the hammer, begrimed fingers caressing the skull engraved on it. Clasping it in a two handed grip, he climbed the ramp, breathing heavily.

He stopped before a foreboding door of wood.

Behind it, he could feel...taste the evil.

The sin, curse, which should have been erased hundreds of years ago.

A feverish tremble wracked his body and Link grinned. He could _feel_. The rage ran like fire in his veins. It consumed him. Here, behind this door, stood his goal.

No.

The hero stood taller and restrained himself, not his goal, _everyone's_ goal. Sealing Ganondorf was not a personal achievement; he did not need to compete for acceptance. This time, the Triforce holder of power needed to be checked, not because Link must do it, but because he chose to do it.

No one forced him to come here.

After all, he could sail home with Aryll and forget about the Gerudo menace.

His breathing calmed. The trembling stopped. A cold wind pecked his skin and he raised the hammer above his head, reducing the oak door into matchsticks.

Deep inside the cabin constructed of polished wood, a figure, clothed in ebony robes, hunched over a mantelpiece. Clouds parted, letting a ray of white light pool before the individual's feet. He turned around and Link glared at the haughty man swathed in shadows.

Head framed by a shock of flame hair, Ganondorf stepped forward and the moon shied away, swallowed behind a bank of clouds. "The Master Sword," he said, voice thick like poison, "surely you have it, Link...Hero of Winds?" A hand rested teasingly on top of a gold hilted sword. "Hmm...you, there is something very different about you."

Wasting no time on words, Link lunged and swiped the hammer sideways, unbalanced; he wildly swung in an arc. The hammer head smashed the mantle and wreaked a path of destruction. A lantern exploded, oil and glass shards cascaded to the floor.

Bemused, Ganondorf glided out of the way and raised his sword to block a decisive blow.

"You were trained...and well." The Gerudo prince smiled humorlessly and pushed Link back. A scintilla of unfathomable emotion flickered in stone cold irises. "This is pointless," he flicked his wrist and Link sprang back. "But I suppose, killing you here will-" Ganondorf blocked another attempt on his skull and grabbed the hammer shaft tightly, "-spare me a great deal of misery." Link pulled the hammer and when it refused to budge, he let go before his skinny arms ripped off.

The weighted head thudded next to the Gerudo's foot, smashing planks but not bone.

_Tsk,_ the boy clucked his tongue in annoyance. Unsheathing the sword, he backed into a corner, bumping into table and low stool. A glance sideways showed a map spread across the table top, a drying inkpot and measuring implements. Ganondorf loomed, lips twisted into an amused half smile.

"Your Master Sword, it is wields no power, but you set me free." Link clutched his sword tighter, teeth grinding in frustration. "The castle at the bottom of the sea...Yes...I can feel it returning to me." The Triforce on Ganondorf's hand glowed and hefting the sword like a spear, Link chucked it. Catching the blade edge bare-handedly, the Gerudo prince examined it halfheartedly and let it drop.

The weapon clattered on the wooden floor, unnaturally loud in Link's ears. Heart hammering, he searched the old cabin for an escape, but diving from this height will result in certain death.

"Your attempts to attack me are courageous, if not foolish." Ganondorf flexed his fingers and deliberately slowly, stalked towards the hero standing near the wrecked door. "Are you going to run?" he taunted, "even if you do, our paths will always clash and there can be only one victor." The man lunged before Link leapt out of the wooden ship and closed thick fingers around the young human's throat. "So young...you do not understand what time can do to a person." The Gerudo's dark eyes landed somewhere faraway, but his unrelenting grip did not ease. "Patience is a virtue, what I longed for, eventually become nothing more than a dream. Now I sit and think...I wonder about the reason for my existence."

Pausing in his struggle to free himself from Ganondorf's powerful grip, the hero listened, enraptured by the words. The personification of power, blessed by the Goddess Din, sat in the wrecks of a ship, pondering on role in life. _Laughable_. Link managed a gurgle, shoulders shaking. He brought his legs up and kicked Ganondorf in his abdomen. However, the grip renewed in intensity, cutting off Link's warped chortles and the ends of his toes and fingers tingled.

Blood roared in his ears, black spots danced in his vision and the hulking Gerudo, robed in midnight, flickered like a bad dream. Gasping, Link slackened and yet, the Gerudo did not let go.

A light winked in the periphery of Ganondorf's vision, whipping sideways, he caught an ornamental dagger. The blade cut his palm. A young, dark skinned girl crashed through the window, raining shards of glass and firing two bullets. Letting Link go, Ganondorf ducked and the bullets soared harmlessly over his head, striking an ancient clock and reducing it into a mess of gears.

The pirate captain, evidenced by her slovenly dressing style, leapt at him and he quickly grabbed her by her throat.

Her necklace glowed.

Resonating with his Triforce of Power.

Eyes widening, Ganondorf reached for the golden triangle shard hanging around a piece of old string. His dream. So this must be...he took a good look at the scowling female, she writhed in his grasp, unbuckled her cutlass and swiped upwards, cutting a scar into his chin. Ganondorf dropped her and swiftly, grabbed his dual swords and lunged after her.

The Triforce of Wisdom...it could finally be his.

Tetra bowled across the ground and irritably pulled a slice of jagged glass from her upper arm. A blade whistled above her head, clipping into a wall hanging. Blades winked in moonlight and the air sang menacingly.

Skidding along the floor slicked with oil, Link grabbed his sword and returned it to his hilt, lifting the hammer, he chased after Ganondorf who chased after Tetra who screamed at Link to go. Buckling the heavy weapon on his back, the boy spun when an unearthly shriek rung in his ears.

Ganondorf pinned Tetra between two sharp, sharp blades and jammed a hand over her throat. She heaved and kicked, loosing strength with each breath. Eyeing the cabin, Link lifted a giant tin and flung it. The Gerudo sliced through the milk can and splatters of white fell on his robe. Scrambling to her feet, Tetra signaled Link, together, the duo dashed for the broken window and leapt to their death.

Link winced when a pair of yellow talons grabbed his shoulders.

A giant dragon, ruby scales glistening, hovered above the shipwreck and as Ganondorf arrived at the broken window, face twisted in quiet anger and passionate determination, the cabin ignited. Smoke poured into the sky and Valoo, roaring defiantly, flew off into the direction of Dragon Roost.

Covered in sticky sweat and panting, Quill deposited Link next to the King of Red Lions and he swamped to the floor. Exhausted. "I doubt it is the last we see of him," the Rito commented and Komali fluttered to a stop, dropping Tetra awkwardly.

The pirate landed cat-like on her feet and fixed glowering eyes at the burning wreckage. She nodded.

Komali handed Link a handkerchief. "Your sister is alright," he informed. "The pirate ship set sail quite some time ago and the King of Red Lions asked us to come here, good thing we did." The human smiled politely. A far cry from the sniveling Rito chick he met in the dwelling caves of Dragon Roost, the prince matured into a responsible adult and carried himself nobly. "Are you hurt?" Komali asked and Link gulped a potion, shaking his head in a negative. "That's a relief," the prince's crimson eyes rested on Quill, "we need to leave, my father entrusted us with delivering news of Ganondorf's return all over the great seas." The brown tipped feathers atop his head swayed in a breeze. "We have to warn the other Islanders of his reign of terror and power, are you sure you will be able to sail alone? Would you like us to help you?"

"We'll be fine," Tetra assured and Link scowled at her.

Who's this_ we?_

Pitch black irises landed on the golden triangle lying on her chest and he wondered. Could that really be the Triforce of Wisdom? Link mentally compared the loose mouthed pirate captain with the divine Princess Zelda. No, he stared at the mirror-esque surface of the water and wiped his lips. Perhaps Tetra was a vassal of the real holder of Triforce...

"I need to get the crybaby here to catch up with my pirate ship and we will go our separate ways, but not before he coughs up the travelling rupees he _oh so_ graciously _promised_." The female winked and Komali, wearing an indulgent smile, took to the skies with Quill in a tow. Bright red messenger bags dangled from their bodies and in a few minutes, darkness swallowed them whole. "Right," Tetra chirped when Link trudged to the boat, "My boys are making for Windfall Island first, gotta stock up and let those girls go, we'll be sailing for-"

"Are you awake?" Link interjected, addressing the boat. Daphnes creaked, uncertainty shining in painted eyes. "As I thought, the Master Sword, it lost its power and worse of all, taking it out of the pedestal allowed time to flow through the continent down under and slowly restore Ganondorf to his full power." The boy jumped on deck, comforted by the familiar things strewn on the boat. "I failed to wound Ganondorf; on the contrary, he almost choked the life out of me."

"Are you listening to me?" Tetra huffed and jumped onboard. Sparing her glower, Link faced the King of Red Lions.

The boat regarded Tetra curiously and the girl, bored of the scrutiny, stalked to the food crates and rummaged, presumably for treasure. Poor thing, the hero snorted to himself and leant over the boat, washing his stinging cuts with sea water. He needed to bandage the two lacerations on his back.

"Are you...did you find what you were searching for?" The rummaging near the deckhouse stopped and Tetra straightened, fixing an inquisitive stare at the talking boat and boy crouched in the prow. "I did ask for help behind your back, but the fact you trusted me enough and not said anything, rose my spirits greatly." Daphnes danced above the waves. "My boy, can you feel again?"

Paint flaked off the figure head's base and Link dug a nail in the sea scoured boat. More flakes landed on his fingers, exposing the wood underneath.

"I confronted Ganondorf, during that time, all I felt was fear." The King of Red Lion's drooped. "However," he shot an irritated glance to the eavesdropping pirate nonchalantly lobbing orange segments into her mouth. "I can't do it alone; I need help, from the Triforce of Wisdom. We need light magic; to truly vanquish Ganondorf, the three of us must wage battle. It is the only and sure way." The stars above them evaporated one by one, making way for the frosty light of dawn. "I felt anger when those Pirates took Aryll away." In the background, Tetra vehemently defended her actions and her 'boys'. "And although sometimes I feel confused, I think...I look forward to a future where I don't need to chop monsters on a daily basis."

Smiling, the King of Red Lions moved in the water and Link crouched at the base, dousing his wounds with a mixture of alcohol and potion. "Get Tetra to bandage those cuts on your back." Daphnes sailed south east. "We are heading back to Hyrule Castle." The boy raised an enquiring eyebrow. "The Master Sword needs to be returned to full power and you need to gather the Triforce of Courage." Link smirked. "But before we do all these things, first, we must meet the Triforce holder of Wisdom."

The hero immediately worked on his appearance, standing in front of a princess, with a tattered, bloody tunic and scruffy boots will be an insult to them both.

Easing off his clothes, he swabbed the shallow injuries on his abdomen and handed his supplies to Tetra. She grudgingly cleaned the slashes on her back, complaining loudly whilst she scrubbed the grit mixed in dried blood.

False dawn gave way to true dawn. The sun rose amidst a cloudless sky and Link looked up, eyes narrowing in the light. A flock of sea gulls flapped alongside them and moved away, squawking a cheerful cacophony.

_He did it._

Content settled like warm soup in his stomach.

He forced the goddesses to acknowledge him.

* * *

**A/N:** Remember the 4-Koma panel I referred to? It was also the inspiration for Link meeting Ganondorf with the skull hammer instead of the Master Sword, of course, there it is presented in a much light hearted way. Appearances are quite important, but I hate formal wear, so unnecessary and stifling and tight in all the wrong places.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Hopefully someone out there is enjoying a chocolate milkshake.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**Long live the King**

Tetra remained unfazed when the King of Red Lions sunk underwater; Link expected the sea hardened girl to show _some_ form of weakness, but she remained stout faced in the most bizarre circumstances and grudgingly, he learnt to appreciate her expertise.

The pirate captain sailed with a steady hand and eyed the WindWaker hungrily, despite the long journey to the middle of the Great Sea; Link refused to use it and slept with the ivory baton underneath his pillow.

He did not need a missing WindWaker to tell him what Tetra was capable off.

Already, she relieved him of the measly rupees jingling in his cloth wallet.

The next day, he found his precious sea charts stuffed in her backpack.

A week later, she rummaged in his trunk, tossing aside bottles, a transparent box of fairies, and triumphantly held the goddess pearls in a grimy palm. The female whipped around to Link standing behind her, tapping the deck with his newly repaired boot. Reluctantly, she covered the incandescent pearls with linen and making a great show, stuffed them back into the trunk. An array of lock picks lay around the chest and picking them up, he tossed them into the sea.

The scars on his back tingled unpleasantly.

Schools of colorful fish darted away from the sinking boat and Tetra grabbed the telescope off his waist and put it to her eye. Darkness magnified in the glass and she pitched it back to him. Sharks warily kept to themselves and an eel, body luminescent, watched from a forest of kelp. Hyrule Castle's turrets speared into view and the pirate captain inhaled sharply, fingers clutching the taffrails as an entire continent unfolded before her eyes.

Dead trees, skeletal branches cracking in the water, rooted atop a grassy plain. The field rippled, a sea of dark green. Bumping to a gentle stop at the Castle's arched entrance, the boat ushered them in and Tetra leaped out, raced through the paved corridor and into the castle.

Disembarking with dignity, Link faced the boat. "I hope there aren't any treasures in there, I don't trust her." He adjusted the hammer on his healing back. "You will be alright here?" he asked. "Maybe I should carry you in..." Link's words reminded Daphnes of the other, sweet little clueless boy. "You deserve to see the inside; I know you want to..." the hero trailed off.

Shaking his head, the figurehead said, "The time has come. Go inside-" a loud crash reverberated from the castle vestibule, "-and make sure the princess is safe."

Link blazed inside, grasped his sword by the hilt and pummeled it into the nearest moblin's face. Nasal bones crushed, the monster howled, dropped its spear and stemmed a gout of blood erupting from its nose. The head flew through the air and Link grabbed the decapitated body, rifling it for spare change. Satisfied, he stalked off, eyes peeled for the quick fingered pirate. His feet guided him to the larger than life stone statue dominating the center of the castle and the Hero of Time's self-assured gaze revived him.

The boy combed the upper balconies and started for the great, curving staircase when a flash of blonde, curly hair disappearing into the basement caught his attention. Horrified, (who knew what the crazy woman will do for loot?) Link descended to find Tetra appraising the dusty stained glass appreciatively.

"Those aren't for sale." He moved protectively in front of the emerald hues of Sage Saria. "These stained glasses are remnants of history," he added and Tetra rolled her eyes expressively. "There are no treasures here, this old continent was sunk eons ago and the spell of time has been broken. Look," Link swiped dust off the richly tinted glass panes, "Hyrule Castle is degrading. It is a relic, nothing more, nothing-"

"Spare me your old man lectures," Tetra cut in as she spied a gossip stone. "Hmm, if I could pry the blue stone off, I might be able to get my boys new earmarkers." She climbed to the surface. "Did you see the giant statue in the middle?" the pirate captain asked excitedly, "I bet some rich bloke will pay handsomely for that statue. Whoever sculpted it must be a master artisan."

The hero's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He briefly imagined his immortalized ancestor as a centerpiece in a fancy mansion... "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed, indignant. "That is the Hero of Time; you cannot treat him like...like one of your treasure pieces to be traded for a chest full of rupees!" Tetra shrugged. "You know about this realm's history, why don't you appreciate it?"

Still eyeing the gossip stone, the pirate captain joined Link at the Master Sword pedestal. Ringed by stone knights, the chamber oozed secrecy and nobility. She did not belong here. The small space and reek of stone suffocated her and Tetra longed to go back to her ship, sailing with her rowdy crew and surfing the dangerous waves.

"Respecting history ain't gonna feed me or my crew," she remarked and the stone behind her lit up. "A pirate charm?" she asked no one in particular and stalked towards the stone.

Interest piqued, Link followed her and the duo hovered above it, faces washed by sky blue light.

"It's good to finally meet you in person, Link." A nobleman's voice boomed behind them and the two spun. Wearing a scarlet robe often used by nobility, a man, his presence filling every inch of the basement, stood in front of the sword pedestal. "I am the one who made the gossip stone and the pirate's charm, I believe you and certain members of your crew use them." Tetra gawped and critically noted the ruby winking in the man's golden crown. Respectfully dropping to one knee, Link bowed and glared at Tetra to do the same. "This...is my kingdom and I am Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule."

A deafening silence engulfed the chamber. Tetra refused to bow but Link's head nearly grazed the ground.

The King of Hyrule?

That old boat, was the _king_ of Hyrule?

Deeply ashamed of ever mistrusting his companion, he remained on his knee, mind suddenly turning to Princess Zelda...what if...the princess, could she be his descendant?

"Raise your head my boy, I too have erred in not telling you of my real identity, but caution must be practiced." Link raised his head and nodded in agreement. "With that out of the way, both of you listen to me..."

The chamber reverberated as the King of Hyrule recounted tales of bygone ages.

Long ago, the prospering Hyrule birthed the new holder of Power. Ganondorf. The Gerudo prince rose to the pinnacle of his power and unleashed an invasion of darkness, wanting to grab hold of the beautiful and fertile continent of Hyrule. The people prayed for a savior, a hero, but the goddesses did not see fit to bless the land with the Triforce holder of Courage.

Desperate to preserve their realm, the people prayed. The King prayed. Flood the land. Seal it off and cover it with an ocean so vast, Ganondorf will lose any hope of recovering it. Crush the power hungry ambition and let the continent lie in peace. The Master Sword, asleep within the castle, became a lynchpin, holding a spell of timelessness to preserve the castle and restraining Ganondorf's excess power.

Once removed by the true wielder, time set in motion again.

"But the goddesses are not cruel, for the destruction of Hyrule and its people meant Ganondorf's wish would come true. Instead, new lands dotted the Great Sea and people populated this world. And yet, he thrives and now the time has come," Daphnes related. The two youngsters listened to the tale with rapt attention and knee numbed; Link swallowed every word uttered by the King. "Tetra...come here please."

The pirate captain jumped, looked around and slowly climbed the raised platform to the king. He held a fragment of a golden triangle and as she drew closer, the piece lying in his palm pulsed. It rose from the King's hand and fused with the pendant around Tetra's neck.

The necklace shattered. The Triforce blazed in a retina searing glory and burnt on the back of her hand.

Eyelids fastened shut; Tetra pressed her temples, unable to bear the pain throbbing behind them. Images flashed, overtaking her memories of sun and sea.

Golden haired girls in velvet padded cribs stared at her, Triforce winking on their hands. Princesses of Hyrule poured their vast knowledge into her cranium, rewiring her personality, forcing, _forcing_ her to shoulder a new destiny. Tetra stumbled, vaguely clutching a long gown wrapping around her body. The King steadied her but the present dissolved, gripping her back to the past and holding her there.

A goddess, the incarnation of Wisdom, the cumulative knowledge of time squeezed into her brain and she fought back venomously. Tetra of the high seas grew smaller, squeezed into non-existence by her royal duty.

She craved the sun...she craved the land. She craved her Hyrule.

She wanted her people.

Dizzy, Tetra stared at her hands, covered in silk gloves of purest white. She could not see her feet, swathes of luxurious material glided across the ground and she touched the dress, almost afraid. Forehead weighted by a tiara studded with precious rubies, the former pirate captain stared at it dumbly; she wanted to throw it away.

She froze as Link approached her; he dropped to his knees and gently holding her right hand, kissed the Triforce. Tetra shuddered.

He did this before.

Pain flared in her forehead. From now, she could not roam the high seas as a carefree pirate, duty dictated she help in vanquishing Ganondorf; like sand trickling in an hourglass, she watched her freedom fall. Link let go of her hand and dazedly, she stepped closer, gripped the Master Sword and slid it out of its sheath on his back.

Raising it, she plunged the sword between her thighs, and tore the dress. Link wheezed in indignation and the King wore a similar, puzzled frown. Holding her breath, Tetra sawed sideways, tearing the flowing gown till the ragged edges barely covered her sun kissed thighs. The boy clad in green gasped like a water starved fish, as if tearing the dress offended him personally. Tetra inwardly giggled at the part horror, part comical expression spreading over his face. Deed done, she balanced the silver sword in both hands and presented it back to Link.

Tetra hopped down the platform, tottering on a pair of platform shoes, and marched to the exit. Pausing, she stared at the stained glass of Princess Zelda. Zelda...her new name. The woman in the glass held herself with grace far beyond Tetra's league. But the piercing blue eyes _demanded_ Tetra to take the mantle as the bearer of the Triforce.

Raising her head defiantly, the girl staggered to the stairs, desperate to escape the claustrophobic basement.

"What are you _doing?!_" Link sputtered and she stopped. His footfalls thundered in her ears. "You are Princess Zelda, you _must_ help me in getting rid of Ganondorf," he insisted.

Reeling, Tetra observed him. Beneath the surface exterior of a child she saw a man with icy blue eyes and ruthless determination mapped on his face.

"And how dare you," he hissed, tan complexion tinting red, "dress like that!" He gestured to her ruined outfit. "You are a princess, the hope of your people, you can't go prancing around _naked_," the boy whispered hotly and Tetra stared bewilderedly at herself.

Was his definition of naked different? Because Jabun knows all her important parts were well covered. Link looked around, climbed the pedestal and returned with the King's mantle.

Draping it over Tetra's shoulders, he smiled, placated when the long, wine red cape covered her. "There, now you look more like nobility rather than a...greedy sea pirate," he stated, pleased by her appearance.

Holding the robe securely, she watched Link and the King talk. The words flew over her head and she constantly sought for her jeweled dagger before remembering it vanished, along with her musket and scimitar. The two discussed Princess Zelda, lauding her generosity, wisdom and mastery of Light magic. They beamed while discussing her future role.

Her. Future. Role.

Offended, she trotted between them but Link simply shifted and continued the conversation animatedly. He spoke of waking the Earth and Wind sages, his pitch irises shone proudly when the King of Hyrule told him about amassing the Triforce. The boy conversed with childish glee at the future adventures with his trusty boat and Tetra's heart sunk. Gripping the cape tightly around her, she again stood between them but the boy drove the final nail in the coffin when he said:

"We can't allow the Princess to be in danger." Addressing Tetra, he added, "You will stay here, we know Ganondorf will be searching for you, exposing you to undue harm..."

The rest of the words drowned in the wrath roaring in her ears.

Who did he think he was, dictating her destiny like this?

She was Tetra not Princess Zelda...not the figure of a noblewoman plastered at the back of her wardrobe. She refused to believe it. A princess?

_Hah!_

Grabbing the front of Link's tunic, she commanded, "You will take me with you wherever you go, I'm not gonna stay cooped in this dingy old basement while you and him," she jerked her head towards the King, "have fun on the high seas." The boy's visage hardened in rebellion. "I'll do what I have to do bring down Ganondorf, _but,_ I'm not staying in here like some pampered, silly princess waiting for my knight in shining armor," she eyeballed Link from head to toe, "to rescue me because Nayru knows I can _fight_." Her words echoed and reechoed from the stone lined chamber. "I don't care what the other Zelda's did, I'm _not_ one of them and I'm not going to sit around like they did."

Fingers circling Tetra's tanned arm, Link squeezed violently before wrenching her hand off his chest.

"You are the most dis-" He breathed deeply. "Listen Zelda..." he began gently and she twitched irritably. "I understand you don't want to stay here, I may not fathom what ordeal you are going through," Tetra's shoulders slumped, "but when we are the chosen ones. We have to make certain sacrifices." The King of Red Lions nodded. "Your mannerisms leave much to be desired," Link joked and when Tetra refused to bristle, he squeezed her hands warmly, "and you know very well what a princess'...a queen's duty is."

He thought of the noble Princess back home, her clear gaze able to glean everything. Link held utmost respect for Zelda, who despite her stoic exterior, held a heart of gold. The princess rarely smiled and he spent long hours, peeking at her through the royal library windows and waiting for her to laugh or frown.

The newborn Zelda of this realm currently sank in a bench, expressions flitting from shock to outrage and finally settling on despair. Her mouth curled downwards, tears clung to the edge of her chin and dropped in her lap.

"They were instrumental in keeping a semblance of peace." Tetra barely heard Link. "In any case, most of the princesses mastered archery, and Princess Zelda of my Hyrule, wielded a rapier and was proficient in swordplay." He recalled her graceful movements, flitting in and out like a butterfly when they sparred. "Compared to her you fight like a barbarian," he concluded his assessment.

"Excuse me _knight_." Tetra jumped to her feet and kicked the heels off, much to Link's dismay. "But do I _look_ like I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth?" she scathed and pointed to the sheet of blonde hair cascading down her back. "Stop comparing me with royalty, I'm not _your_ Princess Zelda and I hope you _don't_ think I'll start behaving like one just because you two," she stabbed the boy's chest and eyed the King vindictively, "decided I should be like one."

Before the boy exhausted his supply of depleting patience, Daphnes stepped in.

"Of course my dear, asking that will be very ungrateful of us." Link stared at him, his mouth a perfect oval. "But like my boy explained, we cannot risk having you constantly hounded by Ganondorf, which he will do because currently the Master Sword is powerless and he knows it." He pointed to the pedestal. "Goddesses forbid he focuses solely on you and Link is unable to push him away." Tetra refused to acknowledge him; instead, she bit her bottom lip and glared holes in the stained glass. "Zelda, you must stay here, this is the safest place in the entire world and we shall come and take you once the Triforce of Courage is reclaimed." The boy nodded to the King's request. "I am sorry to place such a burden on you..."

Tetra stood her ground. "No."

Link, eyes widening like a startled guppy, reached for his sword. He faltered with the weapon in his hand and scowled furiously. Zelda clutched the robe, her heart beating a staccato in her chest. The boy's glower flared like an out of control fire.

She clenched her hands into fists. "You are taking me along or I will…" She racked her brains, could Link be threatened? "…I will steal the Hero's statue." Zelda grinned triumphantly when his face darkened like ominous thunderclouds.

* * *

Truce.

Link called the uneasy silence between him and Zelda. He hadn't spoken a word since their disastrous exit from Hyrule Castle. Sitting on the taffrails and bare legs dipped in the sun warmed ocean, Tetra watched him slipping on the power bracelets over skinny wrists. The past few weeks melted into a blur, she recalled marching onto the boat and claiming his cabin, the hero shot her an angry glare and relented, stringing a hammock between the crates of supplies shielding him from the sea's biting chill. They barely talked and she stalked out of the deckhouse every morning, slumping near the railings and going wherever the brat took her.

The boat zigzagged across mysterious islands teeming with magic and fairies. She blinked in astonishment when they neared a mountainous isle of fire and lava. Link shot an ice-arrow into the flaming island and it cooled. Mouth parted in disbelief, she bore witness as he nonchalantly jumped from the boat, quickly glanced at her and vanished without a word.

She waited, her heart hammering painfully for the island to erupt, what if it killed the boy?

Who will pay her those travelling fees?

"…This is Headstone Island, location of the Earth Temple," Link droned in a low voice. He sniffed disdainfully at the princess balanced on the taffrails and wearing one of his tunics which barely reached her knees. "I'm going inside to learn the Earth God's lyric-"

"And you want me to sit here and wait for you to come back?" Zelda smiled mockingly.

Fingers curling into a fist, Link jumped overboard. "You can do whatever you want, just don't make me worry." He hopped to the giant headstone resting on a slab of patched rock and admired it, running his fingers over the rough stone. Searching for a hand-hold, Link squatted and with a huff, lifted the giant boulder effortlessly, eyebrows arching in surprise. He examined the underside and placed it back on the ground.

Squinting, the hero inspected a circular cave cut into the mountainside. Headstone Island was small in diameter but it plunged deep into the ocean and lay east of Outset.

_Outset_. He wondered if his sister reached home.

Imparting one last glance at the difficult princess who tossed peanuts in her mouth, Link entered the cave, sneezing at the damp, earthy air brushing past his nose. Light barely reached the inside and he stopped at a large slab of stone sealing the rest of the temple. It contained a scale and reaching into his backpack, he retrieved the WindWaker. A ghostly presence materialized and without second thought, Link pointed his sword at the Earth Sage's neck.

Headpiece glimmering, the sage regarded the boy with calm, ocean blue eyes. "My name is Laruto," she stated, her voice rippling across the cave's walls and lowering the blade, Link bowed in apology. "To enter the Earth Temple, you need to learn the Earth God's lyric," she continued serenely and smiled.

Link stared at the harp in her hand as she strung a stirring melody.

Where did he see it?

The song came to a harmonious end and he wished for the melody to play on forever. "This is the Earth God's Lyric," Laruto announced in her soft voice, "learn it well and pass it on to my successor. Search for her, she lives across the Great Sea…" Her body faded into shadow as her words lingered.

"That was a beautiful song." Link spun to face Zelda, clutching Daphnes' cape around her shoulders. "So, any idea where the successor might be? Because _she lives across the Great Sea_ is _such_ a helpful tip."

Resentment bubbled in the hero's chest at her words, why, _why_ couldn't she at least try to emulate a figment of the grace associated with the Triforce Wielder of Wisdom? Why did her every word grate on his nerves so much? She fought like a barbarian, lunging for eyes, face, in-between the thighs and clutching fistfuls of his hair when they sparred. Any attempt to teach her the fine art of archery, fell on deaf ears and she continuously missed the target and once buried an arrow behind the King of Red Lion's head.

"Medli," he announced and scowled at the dust fringing the royal red cloak, "she is a Rito residing in Dragoon Roost." Link trudged back to the boat. "She holds the same harp as Sage Laruto," he answered Tetra's unasked question.

The tight mask of irritation melted when Link talked with the boat, he opened the Great Sea Map and pointed to their destination, restless, Zelda sat on the rails and let sea spray sting her face.

She squinted at the triangles marking the back of her hand and sighed.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Reek of rust**

He speared into the water.

Cold.

Hot.

Freezing.

He remembered gasping for breath, clawing upwards from the watery depths for the sun shining above. The burning circle of light danced above him, rippling and finally Link closed his blue fingers around the sun and faded into darkness.

"Link..." a voice called and he tried to put a name to the face? Aryll? No, she had a sweet voice. The person spoke again and Link groaned, opening his eyes a crack. Arctic light played against damp walls like an aurora and he shut his eyelids when pain rocketed through his skull. "Link, wake up, please. You have been unconscious for almost a week, you must be starving."

Come to think of it, he _was_ starving; again, Link peeled his eyes apart and focused on a figure bending over him. Ralis? The Zora prince's pale green irises narrowed in concern and he raised his head, ordering a nearby soldier to bring a glass of water. Clammy hands helped Link into a sitting position and the human shivered in the cold air brushing against his arms and torso. Link stared at the thin cotton tunic wrapping his body and slowly noted a retinue of Zora guarding his bed and standing respectfully behind Ralis.

He blinked.

"Where am I?" Link croaked and frowned, he was in the Zora's Domain. Ralis passed him an ornamental cup and he drank greedily, water never tasted this good. "How did you-" he swallowed the lump in his throat, attention darting to the patches of umbrae cloaking the room. Did Midna find him? Link concentrated, crushing the cup between his hands, he could feel Midna's presence when she hid in his shadow, but now, his head remained suspiciously light. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Confusion and concern laced the young prince's brows.

Ralis nodded to his men and they meekly filed out of the infirmary. "One of my guards watched you plummet out of the sky," he explained. "You splashed into Lake Hylia and when you did not resurface, a search party fished out from the depths." The prince collapsed in a chair, worry mapping wrinkles on his forehead. "What happened? How did you fall from such a height in the first place?"

A royal guard entered, the pearl encrusted dagger at his waist glimmering in late afternoon sunlight, he whispered in Ralis' ear and bowed before leaving. Link did not like the way the Zora lingered near the doorway, he wanted to be left alone. Midna is probably on his tail and if she found him...

Gods, Link clasped his hands together and prayed. He did not know what to do anymore.

"You should rest for a while." Ralis got up from his seat, craved from a piece of light brown driftwood. "Take all the time you need to recuperate; we are honored to serve the Hero of Twilight."

Twilight...

Lunging, Link grabbed the prince's forearm, shuddering at the slimy, wet contact. A squad of guards rushed in, hefting bone spears and Ralis shook his head, warning them back. "I need to leave as soon as possible," Link rasped. Why did talking hurt so much? "I'm..." he gulped and scowled at the guards and the prince signaled for them to retreat. "I-I don't know what to do," he confessed, "I'm supposed to head to the Twilight Realm with my companion, but I don't want her to go and I feel like I'm not ready." He slowly let go, wiping his palm on the silk bed sheet and Ralis stood at the foot of the bed. Not long ago, they stood on opposite positions and Link had a sudden urge to laugh. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

"You fell from the sky and hit the lake, although it is water, the pressure of it broke your ribs." Ralis indicated to Link's midsection and he rolled the tunic to see bandages and more scarred skin. "I will not pretend to understand what ordeals you went through to get to this point, but, there are times when we are all confused and scared and we don't know what to do."

In another lifetime, Link thought, perhaps he and Ralis could be friends. Good friends.

Best friends.

"Perhaps you should runaway, like I did?" The Zora prince smiled widely, showing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. "It put my priorities into perspective." He tilted his head to the side and his silver earrings reflected light. "Maybe you should visit home or," the prince scrunched his forehead, "roam around Hyrule. You might find your lost purpose." He gently squeezed Link's Triforce covered hand and whirled out of the room, his shoulder sash fluttering after him.

Alone, Link stared at the ceiling. _I am running away. _He closed his eyes and listened to the Zora bustling outside. Shouts reverberated through the arched corridors, snatches of it reached his ears. He folded the pillow around his ears, willing for the dizziness, the emptiness in his head to stop ringing. Breathing heavily, he drifted into a quiet sleep.

* * *

Ooccoo dashed to and fro, leaving ivory feathers trailing in the air. Sitting at a stone table laid for supper, Midna simmered. The food grew cold in front of her and she stared resolutely opposite, where a chair of white alabaster remained empty. Link, that _brat_, missed lunch and thinking nothing of it, she strolled the outdoor gardens, appreciating the jasmine scented air. Her mood whiplashed when an bird half ran, half flapped to a harried stop before Ooccoo, they gobbled something about the Hero of Twilight and when the messenger left, the rubies around its neck glowing like blood, Ooccoo turned toward her, expression solemn.

"I'm afraid we have bad news," he began.

"Spit it out," Midna barked, intuition told her it involved Link.

"The Hero of Twilight escaped to the surface world, he climbed in a Sky Cannon requiring maintenance and shot himself back to Hyrule." Ooccoo nervously hopped backwards, the Twilight Princess radiated anger like a volcano waiting to erupt. "The sentries report he fell into Lake Hylia and did not surface."

Midna froze. Did not surface? "Are you sure?" she asked and Ooccoo nodded. Mind drawing a blank, she sluggishly hovered away, drawing lower and lower till she collapsed on the granite pavement. Her hope...after everything thing she did to protect him, to keep the sniveling child alive he goes ahead and does this?

She clenched her hands tightly. Unforgivable.

The bird bowed to her once and warped in a shower of light. On the floor, Midna stewed in poisonous thoughts as the sun sunk, elongating her shadow into grotesque forms. She absentmindedly traced a circle on her sternum and jerked upright when a sinking feeling nestled in the pit of her chest.

Link was alive.

She breathed a sigh of relief and her eye rolled upwards. A half-moon glinted between sheets of dark grey clouds and she lifted to the air. Link probably ran away, again, however, she was not sure why. He seemed determined to complete his journey and return home. Swaying towards the long halls illuminated with sconces, Midna plotted.

The resident Ooccoo took flight when a grinning Twilli entered the banqueting hall.

* * *

Grateful for the lavish hospitality, Link tried to enjoy the Zora Palace. Lattices of coral decorated the walls and Ralis' throne stood above a deep pool of water. All very dramatic and grand, the human agreed and slouched on the throne while the prince directed his guards to several tasks. A few of the Zora shot him disapproving looks and slunk away, their weapons shining ominously. Link craned his neck when a boat glided into the water, its prow gilded with jewels and silver.

The Zora on board rowed it along, her eyes skimming the throne; she glared venomously at Link nibbling on a salted fish and searched for the Prince. Shrinking back from her glower, Link quickly rose from the seat and sidled next to Ralis, to better admire the boat.

On Outset, the fisherman only used simple kayaks and plain old rafts.

"We are going out on a hunt prince Ralis," the female Zora announced and hefted the oar, the wood shone in the pale light of the throne chamber. "May Lord Jabu-Jabu grant us a plentiful catch today." More Zora emerged from underwater and took up her prayer, they smoothly clambered on the boat, their scaly bodies dripping pearls of water. "We leave with your grace," the Zora dipped her head respectfully and the boat majestically cut through the water, disappearing over the crest of the thundering waterfall.

The hero watched them go; the stone lying in the pit of his stomach grew heavier every single day. Ralis did everything in his power to make him comfortable, but like the time Link spent in the City in the Sky, a shroud of unease suffocated him. His bedchamber in the Zora palace faced the lake and he spent the night hours gazing at the moonbeams falling into the water. Fyer's shop rooted on an island in the middle, a mere speck from the palace and the grey stone Sky Cannon sent twisting threads of pain over his ribs. Everything he laid eyes on reminded him of his heroic duty to restore the realm of Twilight and keep Hyrule safe. However, the willingness to do so dwindled day by day and he scurried from undulating shadows, in case Midna emerges from one of them and strangles him to death for daring to elope from his calling.

Midna...the Twilight Princess.

Sitting on a delicate chair conspired from bone and wood, Link observed the Zora prowling Lake Hylia. Mist clouded the boats and they drifted in and out through the fog like ghosts.

Like ghosts.

The Hero's shade left him and each day, Link wished for the Shade's guidance and rough talk, the constant criticism angered him and resentful determination bubbled in his chest. Grabbing a piece of paper, Link attempted to sketch the view, he gave up after a few pencil scribbles and half-turned when the door behind him swung apart.

"Would you like join me on a patrol to the boarders of Snowpeak?" Ralis asked and Link trained his eyes on the ground where tiles of multicolored coral created an underwater mosaic scene. "I understand you are not fully healed yet, but it's good to get exercise." The Prince patiently waited while his guards shuffled impatiently, grabbing their daggers and keeping their gazes respectfully lowered. "...I will see you later, please don't forget to eat," saying this, Ralis marched out, his diminutive stature flanked by royal sentries decked in belts of silk. They parted for him like a curtain of water and one shot Link a glare before skulking after the prince.

They spent more than a year together, Link recounted, yet, he did not know anything about Twilight, only that the residents did not resemble humans and they practiced magic. Twilight is a world of warm, golden glow; of archaic runes etched over sheets of ebony darkness. A universe of black squares and skies ribboned with portals.

What else?

They had a Princess, Midna, who somehow had her power stolen by Zant and the usurper cast her in a land of light, leaving her to fade into oblivion.

Also, Zant and Midna were destined to marry.

What did Link feel about Midna? The hero did not want to touch the topic; it remained buried like a thorn in his heart. He hated her. _Hate_. She constantly drove him like a pack mule, used him for her purposes and berated him endlessly, never missing a beat to point out his faults and shortcomings. She did not have the gentle kindness of Ilia, nor did she share his enthusiasm of critter catching like Agitha. Fisting in his tunic pocket, Link brought out a small crystal firefly and laid it carefully on the windowsill.

The jade insect glowed with a life of its own and suddenly, Link wished for the tooth aching sweetness of hot chocolate.

His hatred of Midna oscillated with jealously. Zelda. The Hylian Princess Link hardly met. A figure cloaked in mystery who gave up her life to save Midna's. The imp cried for her and the display of such raw emotion formed a lump in Link's throat. Why couldn't the demon princess at least spare _him_ some form of sympathy?

Did she really not care about him at all?

Every time he breathed, the ache in his ribcage scattered everywhere. Up to his chest. Down his thighs and legs. Radiating to his arms. His body felt bruised, broken and shattered beyond repair.

What did he feel about Midna? Link tenderly picked the crystal firefly from the windowsill as the fog veiling the lakefront cleared.

He missed her terribly.

* * *

**A/N:** I honestly don't understand why Tetra's skin color changed after she became the princess. Here, she keeps her bronze/brown skin color and bits of her pirate mannerisms. It's impossible for her to change her skullduggery behavior in one magical afternoon.

Please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Coffee cake to all


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

**Sweven**

Theory one: Near death experiences.

The waterfall cascaded into Lake Hylia and Link could not hear anything above the giant's roar. Ralis was probably worried sick and the hero imagined guards scampering about, their webbed feet slapping the damp floors as they searched for the Hero of Twilight and cursed the wayward human under their breath. A lazy smile curled on Link's lips as he stripped, staring at the crisscrosses of scars splayed over his chest.

Once upon a time, he considered the scars as medals of glory, now they reminded him of the painful encounters accumulated over his journey.

His teeth chattered uncontrollably and the treacherous slip of wet rocks threatened to tear him off the precarious perch and dash him into the churning pool below. The water turned white like ice. It frothed like Diababa's acid pools.

Last night, Link listened to his stomach growl in hunger. To keep Ralis satisfied, the hero dutifully strode to the dining chamber in the palace and gave the area a passing glance. Cerulean and silver. Lattices of muted pink and rich silks. The Zora in the dining room behaved cordially and when he sat to eat, his appetite vanished at the sight of a roasted fish heaped on his plate. It smelled like heaven and although Link's mouth watered, he only managed a gulp of juice and stole away when no one looked.

He tossed and turned in bed, the curtains were apart, flooding the room with pearlescent light. Restless, Link paced and stopped when a sudden thought occurred to him.

The Link of Hyrule and him changed places when he almost died at the darknut's hands. Feverishly, he wrote a theory on a piece of paper...

Theory one, he could return to the universe of the Great Seas when his life was in danger of snuffing out.

So here he stood, on the edge of the waterfall and shaking like a leaf tossed in a cyclone. The cold raised goosebumps on his tanned skin and the spray of water plastered his sandy hair to his head. Inside the cave above the waterfall, voices swelled urgently and taking a deep, freezing breath of air, Link jumped.

Hopefully he will wake up at home. Or in Grandma's lap.

Or with Aryll instead of Ralis hovering above him.

"What are you doing?!" Wind tore the prince's desperate screaming to the mountains of Snowpeak. Ralis watched in horror as the hero tumbled, the Triforce on his hand pulsing gold. "Get him immediately," he yowled to his guards and after saluting in unison, they blazed off. Heart hammering in his chest, Ralis peeked over the waterfall and gingerly stepped back when a female guard put her hand out for him. "What is wrong with him?" Ralis asked bewilderedly, "I know it's not the lack of hospitality...the burden?" muttering, the prince stalked back to the infirmary where Link would arrive a few hours later and give an explanation of what went on in his head.

The Triforce of Courage flashed like a heartbeat and Ralis stared, too scared to take Link's hands in his own. The human's lips tinged into a cyanotic blue and he slowly opened his eyes, using a hand to shield his retinas from the capering flames in the infirmary.

"Well it didn't work," he drawled. "Wow, I'm alive." Link regarded the beating triangle of gold.

"What did not work?" Ralis demanded sharply, "leaping to your death?"

Hearing his voice, Link sat upright, taken aback by the rage simmering in the young prince's jade green irises. Ralis' complexion tinted from salmon pink to magenta, a testament to his fury. "Mind explaining to me exactly _why_ you dived off the waterfall? My soldiers are forbidden to do as such and we are Zora, we can survive under layers of tundra." A sentinel timidly shuffled through the door, bearing a tray. "Leave, I do not wish to be disturbed," Ralis dismissed the messenger with an irked wave of his hand and Link held his breath.

An uneasy silence, broken by the crashing of the waterfall, stretched in the room.

"So?" the Zora prince asked, the angry hissing in his voice dissipating. "I don't understand...you are Hyrule's hope, if you go leaping carelessly to your death, what does it imply for the rest of us?"

Eyebrows arching, Link replied, "I wasn't leaping to my death." Ralis observed him disbelievingly. "Really," the human placated, "I was doing an experiment."

"Experiment," the prince repeated. The word like a knife in his mouth.

The hero nodded. "Yeah, experiment. You see, I can change realms and the last time I did so, I had a broken neck, seconds away from dying," Link recalled the wrenching pain in his neck. "In the Temple of Time, a darknut smashed my neck with a sword and I fell unconscious, when I woke up, I was in a different realm." _In my realm._ "There is another hero there, also named Link and we trade places."

"That sounds ridiculously convenient," Ralis commented and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "And why do you want to change places with him? He is not the Hero of Twilight."

Because I don't belong here. This is not my home. This is not my place.

I miss my sister. I miss my Grandma.

I want to see them.

"You belong here", Midna said and pressed her cold, clammy hands against his cheek. "You are the hero of Twilight."

"He is...he is far more capable at handling things than I am." As soon as the words left his lips, Link immediately regretted it when Ralis sharply drew back. The burden of guiding an entire race lay evident in the prince's premature wrinkles and constant, tired sighs. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say that, I'm just trying to find a way..."

Home.

Saved from the prince's despondent glare by the previously dismissed messenger, Link lay back on his pillows. He couldn't stay here for long, Midna was already on the warpath and if he did not move from place to place, she will find him. He needed time to think; time to find a sure route back home so he could use it after saving Hyrule from Ganondorf...or whatever his name was. Of course Ralis and the others will not understand, they pinned their hopes and lives on Link, as history dictated them to do.

"An urgent report from Castle Town sir," the messenger bowed, the pearls around his neck sliding past each other, "the pyramid holds, the Resistance members have tried burrowing underground to no avail-"

Resistance? Link clutched the silk sheets, his joints aching. Rusl?

"-And there is a new disturbance in the heart of the castle, an old woman says it is a twisted energy of Twilight, the Triforce of power," the Zora reported, sapphire eyes quickly darting to Link, "and a corrupted force of the Triforce of Wisdom."

Link's heart beat a painful staccato in his chest. Triforce of Wisdom...Zelda?

If Midna found out, she would demand a ritual sacrifice to appease her anger.

Throwing the brocaded sheets off him, he jumped to the floor, toes curling at the cold beneath his feet. "I have to leave," he hoarsely stated and grabbed his tunic from a nearby chair. "I'm going to Ordona." He stopped, why there? "I need to make sure the villagers are safe. And...I'm taking your advice, I'm running away." The courier shot Ralis a confused look and quickly distanced himself with the prince rose.

"You want to leave so abruptly?" Ralis clasped his hands in front of his sash, a thick golden chain hung around his neck. "You are welcome to stay here, your experiment," the prince grimaced, "probably left you with new bruises."

Belting the tunic at his waist, Link grinned lopsidedly. "I'll be fine; besides, I'm playing tag with a Twilli demon."

* * *

Theory two: If he simply ignored the decaying state of Hyrule and let Ganondorf have his way, the Triforce, in order to preserve the realm, will summon the Link best suited to save Hyrule. Extreme incompetence will force him back home.

With this in mind, Link veered sharply away from the chaotic atmosphere of Castle Town and set Epona on a course to Ordona. The horse cantered slowly across the vast, monster choked fields and bolted when a deku baba sprung underfoot with an unearthly hiss. The alien vegetation spat colorless acid, fat, slimy tongues wagging disgustingly in their plant pod things. Armed with a slingshot, Link pelted them into a steaming pile of leaves and galloped past, shuddering at their twitching corpses.

Bokoblin and the occasional bulbo roamed the plains, hunting any animal daring to cross their line of vision. Pausing with a water bottle halfway to his mouth, Link bore witness as an olive skinned monster threw its spiked club at a buck and the wooden projectile slammed into the animal's skull, spraying blood and flesh everywhere. Nauseous, Link quickly packed his tent, Epona restlessly swished her tail, ears flattened in fear and hooves kicking dust. Loading his luggage on her back, he set off again.

The path to Ordona became scorched earth. Remnants of fire burned in patches here and there, ashes settled on large fir trees. The shorter pines stood like charcoal straws buried in a mound of grey sand and Link kicked ash, coughing and waving the sooty particles away. Swallowing the sticking dryness in his throat, he examined the gate leading to Ordona village.

Locked.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Link fumbled with the lock and scowled, breaking it will render the gate useless and on the outskirts, monsters patrolled with carefree abandon. His horse neighed nervously and tossed her matted mane. Absentmindedly patting Epona, Link rummaged in his pockets, he kept the shadow crystal with him at all times and he desperately groped in the cloth pouches, searching for the elusive piece of Twilight magic. At last, the orange ribbed piece of stone emerged and he held it up to the light.

Perhaps hate was too a strong word to describe his feelings for Midna. Without her, he would never come this far. Without the Twilight Princess' guidance, the monsters in the Forest Temple would be gnawing his bones. He owed her his life, at the cost of his sanity and a deep loneliness echoed in his chest.

He did not want Midna to go home. Link grew used to the constant adventures, to the death threats on a daily basis. He ran from his troubles, preferring to leave them to someone else, however, Midna forced him to make a stand, even if he lost an arm, or a leg in the process.

Grandma told him not to be selfish. She said he must be fair, play nice with everyone and consider everyone's feelings when talking to them.

Did he consider her feelings? No. Link wanted to go home and leave Midna to fend for herself; when the opposite threatened to happen, it did not feel okay anymore. _Why?_

Why did it hurt to breathe each time he tried thinking about living in Hyrule without Midna?

Sinking the stone in his forehead, Link grunted in pain and hunched on all fours. Epona blinked at him comfortingly and he stalked to the edge of the gate, searching for a spot of soft earth. Finding a circle of damp soil, the sacred wolf dug, covering himself and the horse with clods of dirt. He emerged to the opposite side and shook his fur clean. Separated by a gate, Link arched his back and the shadow crystal osmosed out of his body.

Reaching through the metal bars, he gently stroked Epona's muzzle. "I'll see you later," he murmured as the horse gentle exhaled in his face. "Go find safety somewhere."

And like wind, she vanished.

Ordona spring bubbled quietly, small tides lapping against the earthen bank. The mangled gate barring the springs hung on twisted hinges and clumps of thick, sweet smelling grass rimmed the pool of crystal clear water. Link hurried, he wanted to go home and sleep. This time, no one will bother him if he stayed in bed for a week, Rusl will come in to check and maybe bring a mouthwatering bowl of stew, but the golden haired man never pulled Link off his bed nor did he kick him awake. Looking forward to a week spent doing nothing but fishing in the stream winding across the village, the hero shuffled into the clearing and paused to better appreciate his home.

Sunlight winked off green leaves, painting a portrait of peace. Sighing, Link brushed his fingers across the ladder leading to his home proper, familiar grooves and the worn wood comforted him. The air chirped with birdsong and rustling leaves, however, the distant chatter of people bleeding from the village seemed nonexistent. Sera did not call for customers, Jaggle did not scream at the sight of angrily buzzing bees. Hanch often circled his prized pumpkin patch, conferring with Mayor Bo in loud voices as the two men heckled back and forth across the wooden bridge.

Unease bloomed in Link's stomach and he cautiously ventured into the village.

Cylindrical huts tiled in red cropped into view, the hamlet spread before him, untouched by war and the monsters currently ravaging the rest of Hyrule. For how long though? Link wondered. Will it take a heartbeat, a second, a month to notice this quiet village tucked into the countryside?

Where was Rusl?

Sera's Sundries mocked him with closed shutters and curtained windows. Frantic, Link hopped to Hanch's farm, jumping into the pumpkin garden and hoping the strict man would blaze out of the door, screaming at Link like he did with Talo. Silence. No Hanch armed with devilish pitchforks emerged.

Stumbling to the stream, Link squinted at the congregation of villagers surrounding a house at the back, Rusl's house. His heart leaped into his throat, choking him. What happened? Why did everyone look so solemn? Sloshing through the water and mind buzzing with questions and potential disasters, Link climbed back on the dry bank, his pants soaked. The villagers trickled one by one into the house and his chest compressed with a crushing weight.

Please Goddess Naryu, don't let anything ever happen to Rusl and Uli, he prayed.

He reached the porch when everyone left. Bo and Jaggle peeled away to the mayor's house and a lone figure sat on the steps. As Link approached, fighting for breath and shivering at the cold soaking his legs, Fado turned towards the goatherd.

"Wha- What's going on?" Link demanded, panicked irises jerking towards the hut's door. A scream tore from the inside. Uli. "Oh my Gods is she dying? Where is everyone? I want to go inside!" He stood before the wooden door framed by a wreath of branches, daisies and leaves. Did this thing hang on the door before? Link reached for the doorknob and gasped when Fado, _stupid giant_, roughly pulled him away.

"Are you out of your mind?" Fado asked, brow drawn. "Uli's giving birth, none of us apart from Rusl, Sera and Uli are supposed to go in there. They fetched a nurse and doctor from Castle Town, pipe down, she's going to be fine."

Another agonizing scream and hard panting gusted beneath the closed door.

Also...

"Giving birth?" Link questioned and allowed Fado to sit him on the porch. "I don't understand. Why is she-" he winced when low voices snapped orders from within the house, "-screaming like she's in pain?"

Fado sighed. "She _is_ in pain, she's birthing a child, you know when you help the goats give birth and they get all crazy and one pregnant goat snapped your shin in half? It's like that, only now, she's probably crushing Rusl's hand."

Bewildered, Link pondered on Fado's words. Helping goats give birth sounded extremely _gross _and not on the things on his to-do list. How did 'giving birth' work anyway? It sounds painful, is probably painful and who would want to voluntarily go through such a harrowing episode?

"So uh...She's giving birth...becau-"

"Colin is big brother from today onwards," Fado interjected and dropped his chin in cupped palms. "You too, in a way." The man smiled warmly. "Congratulations."

A big brother...

A flutter of warmth gusted in Link's chest and expanded. A big brother. Not only to Aryll, but to Colin, to his new baby sister and to the rest of the village children too. A hot, wet track curved down his cheek and startled at his blurry vision, Link touched a teardrop and flicked it away. Another joined the first when the cries of a baby echoed from the house and sniffing, Link rotated to the door, hoping it to open so he could see the new addition to the family.

Will she be anything like Aryll? Pink, soft and tiny, with a cloud of fluffy blonde hair and large, soulful eyes?

A handkerchief graciously found its way into Link's hands and he dabbed its eyes with it. It smelled of hay and toast. "Hey...your memories," Fado awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "they're not back are they?"

Blowing his nose loudly in the square of cloth and grinning apologetically when Fado shot him a disgusted look, Link shook his head. "I never lost my memories," he stated and the man next to him frowned in confusion. "I'm not the Link you know." The adolescent stared at the cloudless sky; he was tired of lying, running. Pretending. "We switched places, me and your...friend." The beat of silence between the two stretched into eternity. "I am a twelve year old child who had my sister taken by a monster called the Helmarock King," each time Link related his story, the ache in his heart lessened a little more, "my sister's name is Aryll, she is waiting for me to save her." Fado stared at his hands. "Can you tell me more about him?" Link asked and automatically tugged his mutilated earlobe, he will never get used to wearing an earmarker...an earring. "I know nothing about him, well, apart from the fact that he doesn't eat goat meat."

Doubling over in a fit of snorts, Fado leaned back. "Link _is _weird." The man gazed far away. "He is frighteningly efficient and yeah, the goats are his kids, insult them and he'll maim you." All became quiet in the hamlet, a stark contrast to the world outside its gates. "He told me he trained as a knight in Castle Town...ah...that's a secret, don't tell anyone."

Link nodded.

"What else? He likes reading ancient history, understands old languages and he can't swim," Fado recalled wistfully. "We once played near the stream and I pushed him in, he started yelling and gurgling and in the end I had to dive in and save him. It was funny though." Link frowned, not being able to swim sounded like a _major _problem. "He tames falcons and suffers from terrible nightmares. He probably doesn't know that I know, I found him sleeping in the barn once and he," Fado grimaced at the memory, "rolled over a rake and woke up with blood all over the hay bales."

So Hyrule's Link suffered from terrible nightmares. How did it feel, seeing things when asleep? Link wondered. He never dreamt and after hearing Fado's terrible account, he did not want to dream anymore.

The door to Rusl's house remained closed as the sun set. On the porch, red sunlight outlined two figures conversing softly with each other. Fado squinted at the horizon, stood with a creak of his joints and pointed a thumb to his ranch, citing he needed to herd the goats and feed them, he waited for Link to offer help but the blonde simply smiled wanly. Fado slowly made his way across the bridge, following the stream. He grew up looking at it, swimming in it and fishing from its waters.

When Link arrived in Ordona, a hollow eyed, mistrustful teenager, Fado spent long hours trying to coax friendship from him.

And now, the man turned to the solitary figure squatting on Rusl's porch, he did not know what to think of Link anymore.

Rubbing his freezing legs, Link waited for someone to emerge from the hut. How long did birthing take? If he stayed in pain this long, for sure he would faint. Or die. Or go through both, fainting into a blissful reprieve before going to heaven where coconut pudding never ran out and he could eat as much as he wanted. The door to the house creaked slightly and Link rocketed to his feet, twisting to Rusl emerging with a bundle wrapped in pale blue blankets.

"My biggest regret is Colin, he wasn't here to see his baby sister's birth." The golden haired man tenderly gazed at the baby in his arms and Link drew closer, eyes softening at the sleeping child. "What do you think?" Rusl asked.

"Huh? Oh..." Link looked back and forth, between father and daughter. "She looks a lot like Uli," he carefully touched the baby's warm, pink cheek, tears prickling his eyes, "she's very beautiful."

Rusl smiled widely. "Uli and I wanted Colin to name her; he was very excited when we first told him about the baby." He offered the baby to Link who eagerly wiped his tears and cradled the bundle in his arms. "Unfortunately, he is not here so I want you to do the honors."

"Me?" Link sputtered and looked around. "But I'm not...I'm not _him_."

"Does it matter?" Rusl wearily sat on the porch. "If Colin were here, he would've insisted."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**World in a grain of sand**

A gale skimmed across the tops of Dragon Roost Island. Wooden signs and bridges rattled, postmen launched off platforms, fighting against the wind ripping them off course. Standing on an outcrop with her hair whipping across her face, Medli concentrated with her golden harp, she repeatedly tried to string a melody coming to her in dreams, however, the disjointed sequences refused to flow seamlessly. Sighing, she closed her eyes and let memory guide her, however, after the first few keys, the song soared off tune and grated on her ears.

"You have pretty hair," a voice commented from behind and flushing to the roots of her russet hair, Medli spun and squeaked at Link.

When did he get here?

"Just now," he answered and she regarded him curiously. "I went to the Earth Temple," he motioned to her harp, "and the sage Laruto taught me the Earth God's Lyric."

Medli listened intently as he described his journey and experiences, she tucked wayward strands of her hair and inwardly wished for a ribbon to tie it all back, having Link see her hair loose was an embarrassing experience. No. The weird part was the compliment. Link never said anything remotely flattering and if anything, she expected an experimental tug on it.

"Are you listening to me?" he questioned and Medli immediately straightened and bopped her head in agreement. Link stared at her, noting the blush staining her cheeks and constant shifting of eyes. She fumbled with a lock of her hair, coiling and uncoiling it between her pale fingers. "Don't be scared, we'll be travelling together to the Earth Temple, I talked to the chief and Komali already, you have their permission to leave right now. We don't have any time to waste."

In a whirlwind of motion and events, most of which phased right through Medli, she exited Dragon Roost Village, the Rito gathered in the communal cave to bid her goodbye. Soldiers flanked the tunnel, their spears upright by their sides. In the passageway the chief greeted her, his robes brushing against her arms and Komali, schooling his friendly smile for a formal one, squeezed her hands comfortingly. Voices blurred into a discordant orchestra and when she finally stepped foot into the boat, the blinding sunlight seared her retinas.

On the lacquered boat painted a shade of eye watering crimson, Medli politely bowed to the dragon figurehead and it smiled kindly at her. The door to the deckhouse whined open on salt rusted hinges and confused, she sought Link for an explanation but he merely replied off handedly and conferred with the boat in low voices. A female strode out of the boat, wearing what appeared to be Link's clothes and at this; Medli blushed freely and stuttered an apology.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing someone aboard you shrimp!" Tetra hissed and awkwardly slunk back to the safety of the deckhouse. "And a girl too, what would she think?" she tossed over her shoulder and disappeared.

Feeling out of place, Medli, touched her harp. It anchored her to reality. The boat glided away from the waters of Dragon Roost and Komali hurried out of the tunnel with Quill at his side, he stood on the pier and Medli felt a surge of pride in her chest.

"He's grown up," Link stated from behind her and startled, she bumped against a crate. "...Are you alright?" the boy asked and she nodded vigorously, self-consciously smoothing her dress.

"Of course she's not alright," Zelda re-emerged on deck, wearing a flowing dress of silk, "you plucked her from her home without any prior explanation and she has to join boring old you on the high seas. It's a tragedy, I would cry."

"Fortunately for both of us, she's not you," Link retorted and went back to his sailor journals.

Tetra scowled. "Anyway, my name is...Zelda," she smiled warmly at Medli and the Rito returned it with a timid one of her own. "Link here is a bore, don't let it bother you. Since the boat only has one deckhouse, you and me will be sharing the bed...hmm..." Tetra tilted her head and grinned cat-like. "You are my first girl friend, I never had one before," the girl grabbed Medli's sweaty hands, "let's become best friends!" Zelda exclaimed and Medli giggled in response.

* * *

Best friends, Link pondered and lay awake in his bed. The voices resonating from the deckhouse made sleep impossible but at least Medli did not throw up like he did after riding a cyclone. Headstone Island loomed a shapeless mass in the dark and the sea blazed in luminous hues of sapphire and lime. Tossing in his swaying hammock, Link closed his eyes, forcing himself into sleep.

They stood before the imposing slab of rock sealing the Earth Temple. Learning the tune in seconds, Medli played the song and enraptured by the melody, Link listened. Her slender fingers flew over the harp in a blur and the tune reverberated off rock, melting into a series of whispering echoes. She stood confidently, her hair secured into an elaborate ponytail courtesy of Tetra and when the time came for the two 'best friends' to part, Link fought Zelda back on the boat as she insisted on accompanying them. Only a quiet and firm insistence from Medli convinced the wayward Princess to stay with the King of Red Lions.

"I think I have mastered the lyric," the Rito stated and he smiled. The smile caused Medli to shrink and Link delicately brought out his WindWaker. "Please guide me through the lyric, I want to play my part as well."

The WindWaker hummed alongside the harp and together, the two instruments played a soul wrenching song. The tune mourned of neglect and sadness, of times long gone and forgotten. It lamented for the earth sunk deep below the sea.

The stone door grated apart and both sneezed at the musty air wafting from inside. Barely pausing to get his bearings, Link marched in and stopped short when the platform ended abruptly, he did not want to expose Medli to undue danger and wished she could spend time with Zelda, hopefully taming the former Pirate's foul mouth and tendencies. Alas, the gap between one platform and the next stretched infinitely and he pulled out the Deku Leaf, craning his neck for conveniently placed magic pots on the ground. Shafts of thick, pearly white light drilled from above and illuminated the entire temple with a preternatural glow.

Medli stepped into place beside him. "The Deku Leaf won't work," she informed and Link frowned. "It won't float you into higher places like the ledge." She pointed to an upper platform of stone bearing a chest and sullenly, he put the leaf away. "Um...I can fly," the Rito rung her hands, why did Link make her so nervous these days? "and I'll be able to carry us both."

A fleeting, somewhat mocking smile flitted across his face.

"Well, if you don't mind me," Link declared and unhesitatingly fastened his arms around Medli's waist, she swallowed audibly. "Sorry for the awkwardness," he apologized, "but we don't have time to feel weird about these situations. The faster we finish, the easier it will be for both of us."

Soundlessly, Medli launched in the air, looking down when Link gasped. He hung on to her tightly and she exhaled at his vicious grip. The boy stared fearfully at his dangling legs and held his breath, preferring to spear his acrimonious gaze at the towering stone platform edging into their view. Out of breath from the combined weight and the way Link squeezed the breath out her lungs, the two tumbled on the platform and he whipped his sword out, slashing two moblins effortlessly.

Drops of blood landed on Medli's cheek, she touched the fluid, freezing in horror at the ruby staining her fingertips. Turning, Link gritted his teeth in a polite smile, brought a square of cloth and rubbed her cheek free.

"Keep the cloth," he tapped his boot on a motif inscribed on stone, "there's going to be more blood." Medli tucked the handkerchief into her waist-pack. "We have a problem," Link indicated to a higher tower with a switch, "I doubt you will be able to fly us both to that stone pedestal over there." Medli shrugged apologetically. "So I want you to go over there and step on the switch, think you can do it for me?"

Odd, he spoke to her like she was a child.

The flight this time did not strain her wings and Medli landed gently on the switch. Stepping on it did absolutely nothing and fearing Link's wrath, which flared imperceptibly in his pitch black irises, Medli depressed the switch several times before creeping to the edge and shouting it did not work. Her voice echoed in the ghostly silver chamber and she imagined Link's deep frown.

Link gnashed his teeth, working with others slowed him and he took a deep breath. Daphnes told him to be patient. "...Fly back," he commanded and Medli touched down near him. "I don't understand though," he mumbled, "should I go there and do it myself?" Lines furrowed his brow. "I can't fly...and both of us won't make it, we'll crash to the ground..."

The Command Melody!

Blinking in understanding, Link brought out the WindWaker and posed to conduct the symphony. Will it work with other beings? He wondered. How did it feel? Having another presence inside a mind? Quashing doubts, Link played the Command Melody with Medli's scarlet eyes trained on the baton. For a split second, nothing happened and Link stared at the WindWaker when darkness crept at the edges of his vision. An undercurrent of fear accompanied his waning conscious. What if it didn't work?

What if their minds fused together?

What if...

The stark chamber echoed with a new melody stirred by the WindWaker, fascinated with the magical artifact, Medli watched Link weave the baton through the dusty air before he lowered it and slowly sunk to the ground, his head lolling on his chest. Alarmed, she stepped forward to touch his shoulder and a searing pain bolted across her head. Letting out a shriek, Medli rubbed her temples, her eyes filling with tears at the hammering pain. She fell, colliding harshly on the stone. The pressure increased, tears dripped off the end of her chin, creating dark spots on her grey tunic.

A foreign presence invaded her mind and she desperately grasped for the surface. The weight pushed her down, threatening to drown her into the Great Sea and she closed her eyes, failing to keep herself together. Images flashed in her head rapidly and Medli heaved for air, sweat dotted her brow and dampened her hair.

Icy blue eyes stared back at her. A man holding a sword with a mop of sandy hair. He stood in the center, where her vision was the clearest and swung his sword, pouring resentment, determination and anger. The silver blade flashed dangerously, cutting the air with ominous whistles. He held the WindWaker and guided Medli with the Earth God's lyric. The same individual broke the lock when monsters held her hostage and she recalled the all-knowing sneer on his face. He did not flinch at the sight of blood and even if his face remained impassive, Medli could see him inwardly smiling, a wry tilt of his lips.

He smiled now, polite, but she found such politeness mocking. He came closer and she crossed her arms to shield herself from his consuming stature. If he noticed her discomfort, the man paid no attention because he stalked closer, closer, close enough so Medli felt the loneliness roiling off him in waves.

She gulped in a lungful of air and shook her head, throwing the last vestiges of the man's control. Getting to her feet, she scooted, as far away as possible from Link. Her heart beat frantically and she cowered at the edge.

This was _not_ Link. The boy on the platform was the foreign man invading her mind.

"I can explain," he began and she violently recoiled. "I know you are afraid of me and I should've probably explained to you what the Command Melody does-"

"You aren't him," the Rito interjected, voice shaking. "You aren't Link. What did you do with him? Where is he?" Medli demanded, blinking the tears filming her vision. "Get out of his body!"

Taking a step forward to the hyperventilating Rito, Link decided against it and stood his ground. "Yes, I'm not him...I'm sorry." She swallowed and wiped her face, mouth agape in disbelief. "Link and I traded places, he is in my home world, as I am in his," he spoke slowly, waiting for the chaos of his words to filter into an explanation in Medli's mind. "You saw who I am, I'm older...not really the naive and sweet person Link is, I don't think twice about killing...I am trained as such and-"

"You are lonely," Medli finished.

Smoothing the involuntary frown furrowing his brows, Link nodded. Not what he wanted to say but it will do.

"Yes," he conceded, "I'm a bit lonely."

The fear in the Rito's eyes softened into curiosity but she did not dare approach him. "Will he be back?" she asked and Link shrugged truthfully. "Oh..." Medli sat, the strength drained from her limbs. "...You didn't tell me your name."

"Link," he offered and rummaged in his sack for a potion to calm her frayed nerves.

"No, your real name," Medli insisted childishly. She grabbed her harp and her fingers flew over the strings, teasing a light ditty.

Carefully handing her a potion, Link squatted on the ground. "My name _is_ Link, we have the same name." He listened to the twanging of the strings. "You'd find it difficult to believe, but we share the same destiny."

"Do you know why you changed places?"

Gohdan's words replayed in Link's head. The Tower guardian admonished him of not being courageous enough. True courage did not come from venturing fearlessly in danger; it came from confronting the shameful things lying hidden in a person's heart.

Glancing at the switch teasing him with its distance, Link replied, "To be honest, I don't know. Although," he absentmindedly toyed with the WindWaker, "it's probably because I'm not fit to wield the Triforce of Courage."

Pillars of white light broke the sea of fog in front of them. Casting a sideways peek at Medli who seemed to be coping with her shock well enough, Link stepped inside the fog and paralysis seized his muscles. He painstakingly crawled to a shaft of light where the numbness released with a relieving snap. More circles of light peppered the room in random places and when the Rito followed him, Link warned her to stay back. She dully obeyed, fiddling with her harp. The golden instrument caught a fringe of light and it flashed across the cloud choking the room.

A little of the fog dissipated.

"I'm going to take over now," Link shouted across the floor space and she prepared herself.

Before venturing any further, they drew an agreement of sorts. Medli would allow Link to invade her mind only if he alerted her beforehand and any wayward memories flashing between them should not be discussed about. _Ever_. Link suspected she had feelings for the child and his suspicions were constantly confirmed every time he took over and glimpsed the flowery images she conjured of the boy.

Hmph...children these days.

Gripping the harp in Medli's pale fingers, Link angled it at the fog. The shroud of dusky blue dissolved in the onslaught of light and he moved forward, talons scratching on slate. A stake protruded off the ground and he darted to his inert body slumped on the floor. Grabbing the skull hammer, which nearly snapped Medli's delicate wrists, he pounded the stake and the steel bars shutting a door slid apart. Not bothering to return, Link snatched his body and dragged it to the next room.

Waking in the face of a slobbering, spear hefting moblin, Medli froze in fright, her palms up in a universal gesture of peace. From behind her, a blur of green revealed Link burying his sword in the Moblin's side and wrenching its spear off. The weapon clattered to the ground, tassels falling over the blade. Inching backwards from the plume of blood, the Rito waited for Link to dispatch another Moblin bursting from Goddess Din knew where. Link butchered them cleanly, wiping his blade across their steaming corpses and Medli resisted the urge to empty her stomach on the floor.

How did he kill those monsters without a single scream?

A terrified screech ripped through the room and Link dashed to Medli angling light on a poe. Lowering his sword disbelievingly, the hero suppressed an amused smirk. The thing was a poe, a harmless ghost. Rolling his eyes, he sauntered to the petrified ghost and shattered it with a swipe of his sword.

"The-there's another one behind you!" Medli fought to keep the wail out of her voice and failed spectacularly.

Without looking, Link drew his sword across the second poe and glared when his blade slid seamlessly through. The ghost bonked Link with its glowing lantern and the boy spat a curse. Medli flinched at his words. She angled her harp to reflect light and once the ghost solidified, Link smashed it with the hammer.

He touched the fragments, teeth clenched at the freezing bits. The poes in Hyrule needed their cores ripped out.

The ones here, needed to be purified by light.

* * *

Annoyed by the Re-dead wrapping its rotting arms around his paralyzed body and sucking on his headful of bright blonde hair, Link endured Medli's terrified scream. She screamed for him, he placated his spiking anger and snarled when the monster gnawed his skull. The goddamn teeth hurt. Bit by bit, the stiffness in his muscles unlocked and when the zombie raised its head for another paralyzing screech, Link drove his sword into its chin; the blade emerged through its skull.

Coffins lined the crypt and mold grew in the cracks between the walls. Leaving the Rito to fearfully strum her harp in the center of the pit, Link approached another funerary box. Strange symbols edged the coffin. The shapes had nothing in common with ancient or modern language. Most of the stone boxes contained rupees or treasures buried with bodies. Were these people anyone of importance? The hero pondered and pushed another coffin lid aside, the grate of stone on stone echoed too loudly. No re-dead jumped from its cold depths but cobwebs and centuries old dust wafted to the surface.

Sneezing, Link held his makeshift torch higher while Medli impatiently craned her neck to the lighted parts of the temple. Firelight showed lead grey walls and pebble black paths. Beckoning to Medli, Link climbed to higher ground. Uniform corridors stretched endlessly, punctuated by the occasional shaft of porcelain light.

Unlocking a door with a small key, the boy handed his torch to Medli and readied his sword and shield; he stormed fearlessly in the room, coming to a pause before a coffin ten times his size. Behind the humungous coffin inscribed with strange, unreadable symbols; brackets of candlelight pooled in small circles on the brick wall. Neck aching from trying to glimpse the top of the coffin, Link stepped back and renewed his grip on the blade.

"Careful," he warned Medli, "there is probably a huge monster in his room."

The Rito clutched the torch in clammy hands and jumped when the coffin's lid slid apart with an ear grating din.

"Oh, there it is," Link commented casually, not budging an inch even as a skeletal monster unfolded before him and reached for a metal mace.

The mace swung through the air, glinting in dismal light and Medli bit on her lips to prevent a scream. She tasted blood.

Stalfos swiped for the blood and flesh nuisance weaving around its mace. Gravel exploded upwards. It swung its weapon and cratered the once pristine burial chamber. Pockmarks stitched the cobblestone floor.

Hollow Master sword useless against the colossal bag of bones, Link switched to the skull hammer, narrowly avoiding a blow to his head. His toe throbbed and he hopped backwards, irritably glaring at his leg to cooperate. A swing from the mace skimmed cold air over the top of his slimy head and when Stalfos bowed low, he raised his hammer and bashed it on the skeleton's skull.

Joints popped, the skull hit a far corner, disintegrating into splinters. The spine collapsed one by one and the femur skidded across the ground, coming to a stop before Medli. Link frowned, a rivulet of blood dribbled down the corner of her mouth and lashing the hammer, he loped towards her.

She trembled uncontrollably and pointed one shaky finger to two other normal sized stalfos crawling out of their coffins.

Cursing under his breath, Link lit two bombs and lopped them one after the other at the jerking skeletons. They blew in a confetti of bone splinters. Turning his attention to Medli, he gently took the torch form her.

"Stop biting your lip," he coaxed, "and open your mouth, you are bleeding." Link retrieved a potion from his bag and hunted for a wad of bandages. The linen eluded him. "Spit the blood out."

Shivering, Medli did as he instructed, scrunching her beak-nose in disgust at the blood and saliva pouring out of her mouth.

Rinsing his hands with stinging alcohol, Link dipped his fingers in the potion and touched the corner of her mouth, swiping his finger across her swollen lip. The Rito blinked back tears. "You're being very brave," he soothed, the mock politeness in his face mellowing, "for coming all the way here." He pointed to the gloomy Earth Temple. "The books write little about the temple, I don't know what I'm going against, I'm not really sure who is buried in here," he jerked his chin towards the coffins, "and it smells of dust and mold." Link wiped his hands at the edge of his tunic, smearing watery blood and flecks of potion on the green cloth.

"Were you a doctor?" Medli asked as Link used his newly acquired mirror shield to reflect light on symbols of the moon and sun. A door opened and they traversed through. "How...err...old are you?" she questioned awkwardly and hoped he would not take offence.

"Old enough to be your older brother," he quipped and cocked his head, studying the golden idol and the distance of the beams of light. "And no, I wasn't a doctor, I herded goats."

"Goats?" the Rito repeated uncertainly and brought out her harp, copying Link and shining light into the idol's hollow eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen one."

The idol glowed with a warm light, reducing the fog into intangible wisps. Marching to the artifact, Link touched it and the metal seared his hands. So this thing was constructed from pure gold? He inhaled sharply, unbelievable. It must weigh at least several hundred kilograms. Caressing the intricate engraving on the idol's surface, Link reluctantly pulled away, descending through a series of steps, he looked backward, making sure Medli followed him.

"Goats are livestock," he explained. A stone tablet bearing the Earth God's lyric and the symbol etched on Medli's harp, barred the way and he extracted the WindWaker. "I don't eat them though; they are my kids," he stated fondly and sighed. "We have another gate to pass, let's finish this quickly and I'll draw you a picture of a goat when we get back to my boat."

Fingers stringing the harp, Medli smiled.

Perhaps this Link wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**A/N:** I know Uli doesn't give birth till after the game in TP but let's be honest, Twilight taking over and receding from Hyrule in the span of less than nine months sounds impossible. Uli was already visibly pregnant, so the events theoretically occurred in around six months or so. No wonder TP Link left, he couldn't deal with the aftermath.

Anyway, please read and review people, constructive criticism and theories are well appreciated. Take care to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

**The Earth Sage**

Dust caking his felt boots, Link stood on a circular platform.

Statues. Pillars of thick, otherworldly light. Large mirrors, glinting quicksilver.

A comforting weight pressed on his back and Medli's warm breaths brushed against his nape. The poor child, exhausted from scurrying behind him, succumbed to fatigue and fainted when a floor master prowled around her. Carrying her limp form, Link plodded through the temple, settling her in safe places when he fought monsters.

He finally set foot in the oblong chamber stretching as far as the eye could see. The room solidified through a pearly veil, there and yet, not quite there.

Sitting on the edge of the platform with Medli's head resting on his lap, the boy ate; working through a cheese sandwich and dividing the fruit between himself and the girl. The ponytail at the back of the her head looked painfully elaborate and he worked the ribbon free. Medli's shock of russet hair spilled over his lap, the tips sweeping the dusty floor. Link gently stroked it, thinking of the times he spent with Ilia at the edge of Ordona's spring.

Did she get her memory back?

Will she remember him or will the other boy wearing his face be the object of her affection?

He woke when Medli gingerly shook him. Yawning the vestiges of tiredness away, he pointed to the packed lunch and urged her to eat. The Rito shook her head and implored for the ribbon twisted between his fingers.

"No," Link sternly refused. "You will have your ribbon _after _you eat. I don't care if you feel like throwing up, the temple is long and difficult and you need energy to keep going." His irises sharpened. "Eat."

Nibbling on an apple she would rather throw across the room, Medli tried not to concentrate on the stifling silence between them. The chamber swirled with dust but curiously, the statues and mirrors were clean. At some point during her laborious eating, Link combed his cut laced fingers through her hair and she wanted to scoot away from him. The gesture unnerved her.

"Do you have a sister?" she asked and tied her hair back. Her lunch clawed for a way out of her stomach and Link shook his head. "A family?"

Another dismal shake of his head accompanied by a sad smile.

"Although, the whole village is my family, roughly speaking." The hero jumped to the floor, and popped his joints. "There are quite a few kids," he ticked off names, "and managing them all can be quite tiring." A beat of silence underlined his words. "I miss them terribly."

The two geared for work, hauling statues to proper places and shining light on the colossal mirrors. Silvery light weaved through a pillared structure in the middle and Link grunted, sweat blooming on his back as he pushed and pulled the pewter stone structures.

A crab-like statue sheared across the floor and panting heavily, Link rotated his wrist to ease pressure. Ancient text flowered across the bust, singing praise to the Earth God. He wondered who this 'Earth God' could be; since antiquity, people worshipped the Goddesses Hylia, Din, Nayru and Farore. Later on, tribal cultures mingled together and local deities sprang up. Lord Jabu-Jabu who reigned over the sea and here in this world, Lord Valoo whose domain of fire and volcanoes struck fear into the most sea hardy sailors. Taking a deep breath, Link resumed pushing, the crab clicked into place and Medli fluttered beside him, pointing to another pedestal needing mirror.

A golden mark on the wall pointed to something hidden and light bounced off the polished shield, revealing a mirror nestled in a curved alcove. The pearly quality of the room intensified as light constantly bloomed and waned in the periphery of Link's vision. Swallowing a gulp of water and soaking the front of his tunic, the boy fixed the mirror into its designated place, unearthed another treasure chart and stared at the co-ordinates, snarling in frustration.

"Maybe you need a break?" Medli timidly offered him an orange, he devoured it, growling angrily.

"I'm irritated." The scent of citrus clashed against the rocky undertones of stone. "I don't know the history behind this temple, or who it is dedicated to, or its significance. Who is this Earth God? Are these statues depicting him?" He pointed to the numerous shapes scattered through the room, his hand lingering at a majestic elephant-like being with short tusks and a long trunk. "What's with all the mirrors and light. Where _does_ the light come from?"

The duo craned upwards, at the cavernous ceiling swimming in murky umbrae.

"The light is magic," the Rito informed and Link perked in understanding. "As for who the Earth God is...I don't really know...I mean, it's not important any more is it?"

Link looked at her like she grew a second set of wings. "Not important?" he echoed, scandalized. "Of course it's important! How do you preserve culture and relics if you don't know its history?" Shaking his head and mumbling dark threats, he stalked to a pillar of light and Medli scrambled after him. "We must get the light to bounce from one mirror to the other." Link nodded to a place and she took out her harp, reflecting light according to his orders. "Wait there." He stood a few meters from her and brought out his mirror shield.

Light struck, transforming the chamber into a sea of stars.

Dark stone lurked at the edges, the boarders of a cosmos. Transfixed by the ribbon of silver white winding across the room, Link forgot to breath. The Earth Temple seemed much more alive than a dead crypt harboring dust and animated skeletons. It teemed with life and magic.

Twin pillars of light struck the hollows of another idol's eyes and they flared like miniature suns. A hallway opened underneath and leaving the breathtaking chamber behind, Link followed the passage and encountered a darknut waiting patiently with a delegation of blue bubbles. The boomerang whizzed through the room, a yellow streak in the gloom. The bubbles fell one by one, skulls peppering the floor. Licking his lips in anticipation, Link drew his sword when the darknut charged.

The monster's horned head stared lifelessly and he kicked it away.

A trellis of long dead vines proved a treacherous surface to climb and hiking determinedly, Link flopped to the top, flexing his fingers. He held out an arm for Medli, her hair plastered on her scalp due to sweat; she collapsed next to him and gulped a large bottle of water. A chasm separated the two from another ledge containing a door. Behind it, Link felt ghostly energy, one of the few things alive in the temple.

He grinned and remembered Medli when she squeaked at the maniacal smile cutting his face.

"This is the end," Link intoned and brought out the Deku Leaf, he judged the space between one platform and the next and prayed he would make it. "The boss monster is behind the door, you won't be coming in with me," he announced and Medli opened her mouth to protest. "You should tell him," Link interjected and her brows knitted in confusion. "You should tell Link your feelings." Crimson flared in her cheeks. "Before it's too late. Before he changes into someone you don't know anymore."

Imparting these ominous words, the boy slung the Deku Leaf over his head and jumped, the magical leaf floated him across the chasm and Medli took to her feet, her stomach twisting at his retreating form.

What did he mean? She worried her harp. Link won't change, right?

_Right?_

* * *

Sacred symbols of the Triforce created a mosaic on the floor and Link ignored the ghostly presence drifting within the chamber to better scrutinize the pattern beneath his boots. The large poe, Jalhalla, the texts said, could not be harmed with any weapon in existence. How to defeat the poe remained in obscurity and pitch eyes rolling to the ceiling, he noted three holes cut into the clay roof.

An earthen column spiked into dangerous, tapered points, the product of corrupt magic. Jalhalla drifted aimlessly, its shadow outlined by the light flaring in sconces bolted along the crumbling walls. Circling underneath the indents in the roof, Link lunged when a pillar of light shone from above, his shield directed the light on the ghost and Jalhalla spasmed, turning into stone.

Before the hero sliced him into nothing, he took a moment to study the spirit's features. A white mask hid its face, bulging eyes conveyed hate. Jalhalla's limbs jerked and Link sliced, surprised when the sword rebounded. Regarding the conveniently placed pillar bristling with spikes, he slipped on the power bracelets, hefted the poe and punted it.

Instead of dying, the poe split into smaller versions of itself.

Tsk.

The sword reaped souls of the undead and he killed the smaller ghosts with frightening accuracy. Sighing in satisfaction, Link twirled the sword and sheathed it, tensing when the door opened to reveal Medli.

She peeked inside and stepped in, clapping graciously at the portal to the surface. Humoring her, Link performed a mock bow and she giggled lightly.

Amidst them, Sage Laruto appeared, smiling at her descendant. Without exchanging words, the two strummed their harps in unison, playing the Earth God's Lyric a final time, Link listened intently and on his back, the sword hummed, gradually filling with power.

The Earth God lyric petered to its last bars, the Temple shook and the spikes rimming the boss chamber receded, tamed by song.

Medli opened her eyes and watched Link, regarding the Triforce on the floor; she looked at her hands, unstained by blood and approached him.

He looked up and smiled. No more mocking and polite; but genuine and warm.

"I am going to stay here," Medli whispered and the gentle smile on his lips reformed into a displeased line, "Link, you have to go to the Wind Temple-"

"I know," he replied crisply, "and you are mistaken if you _think _I'm going to leave you here."

"...I must stay here and pray, your Master Sword is being sustained by prayer." He looked away guiltily and Medli continued, "I will be fine, once the sword is back to full power, I will return home. It's a promise."

* * *

Barely did Link clamber on the King of Red Lions when a question assaulted him.

"Where is Medli?" Zelda stood at the stern, clutching fistfuls of her silk gown; her dark eyes scanned Headstone Island for the Rito.

Stuffing the charts safely in a trunk and separating the waste and other spoils he found in the temple, Link examined the Master Sword, the edges sparkled too brightly under the sun and when he ran a finger to test the blade, a deep cut welled scarlet drops of blood.

"She's in the Earth Temple," he answered reluctantly, "Medli will stay, praying till the Master Sword is back to full power and till I have the Triforce of Courage."

Tucking the lengths of material flowing around her legs and making walk impossible, Tetra gaped at Link. "You left her there?" She gripped a dagger tucked into the jeweled band around her waist. "You left a child all alone in the Earth Temple? What will she eat? What if monsters got to her? Have you ever thought about that?" Zelda shrieked, "of course not, you only worry about yourself and defeating Ganondorf!"

"Perhaps you should take a lesson from her about responsibility," Link snapped, fists clenched. The boat rocked, sighing at the constant arguments between his passengers. "If we defeat Ganondorf, the Great Sea will be free from danger, there won't be monsters choking the waves," Link irritably drew her attention to the myriad of sharks swimming in the waters, "life will be easier for all of us."

Forcefully slamming the lid of a wooden chest to end the conversation, Link rubbed his throbbing temples. Zelda dragged her feet back to the deckhouse and shut the door with a loud bang and weary of their conflicting points of view, he slunk to the figurehead and wrapped his arms around the dragon.

Daphnes creaked, swinging his head to Link who gazed petulantly out at sea. "I believe we have to head to the Wind Temple next?" The boy nodded. "Do the books say anything?" the boat prompted.

Easing his weight off the figurehead, Link unrolled the map. "The island is situated directly north of Windfall Island, so its north east from here."

He gripped the WindWaker and played the Ballad of Gales, holding a palm to his mouth and stifling the urge to vomit. The water around the boat swelled into a peak, wind rushed from the surrounding environment, cajoling the peak into a towering twister. Unable to hold his nausea, Link shuffled to the rails and hung over as a column of water cycled beneath the boat. A gale howled around them, slicing the sea into patches of white foam. The cyclone gained moment and rushed across the ocean and moaning, he threw up.

Three days later, Link weakly picked a salt encrusted seashell of the side of his boat and trudged to the bow, rubbing the blue bags under his eyes. Gathering his equipment, he glanced at the closed door to the deckhouse. Daphnes urged him to apologize to Zelda, the princess had a point.

And Link wanted to apologize, if only she could leave the deckhouse for more than a few minutes and acknowledge his existence.

"I'll be going now," he said and the boat blinked indulgently. Smiling despite the ominous clouds gathering overhead, Link jumped on the pebbly beach and a violent gust of wind nearly knocked him back into the boat. Daphnes drifted further offshore and squinting at the vortex of wind, Link made out a weird, octorock statue as the source of the gale.

Gale Island, how fitting, he chuckled humorlessly to himself.

The iron boots slipped on the sand. Dry leaves careered past and palm trees hung low, bent double by the windstorm. Half crawling, half walking, Link climbed the incline and the wind shoved him back like a wall. Holding the skull hammer, he smashed the wind generating statue. The gale sputtered to an abrupt stop and as if sucked in, fallen leaves and sand came rushing back. Link sneezed at the grit wafting up his nostrils and dusting his cap free, he entered the tunnel, jammed with the remains of the gale statue.

Inside, the path ended at a stone tablet bearing the Wind God's Aria. The sad lament of an ocarina rung in his ears and Link whipped around, searching the source of the song. A young boy with a puff of bright blonde hair materialized out of thin air and bowing to him, Link waited for the symphony.

"I am called Fado," the Kokkiri child intoned and Link repeated the name under his breath.

Fado.

How did the rancher fare? Were the residents of Ordona surviving well? The present flickered like a dream and the background ocarina increased in volume, bursting Link's eardrums before leaving a silence filled with the bleats of goats. Bewildered, Link looked up from his book at Fado who shouted at him to get off his lazy butt and help with the hay. Pine trees cast dappled shadows and resin bled amber-gold in the trunks. Sighing dramatically, Link rose from the carpet of grass, reached for the pitchfork his employer threw at him and jerked when tool missed his outstretched hand and plunged into his foot.

He stared at the Kokkiri child waiting patiently for a response.

"I… have to find the Wind Sage, who uses a similar musical instrument as yours?" Link confirmed and Fado nodded carefully. "Makar." Link remembered the Korok child. "He uses a violin…like yours."

Sage Fado opened his eyes, a shocking blue. "Makar," he wistfully echoed. "I remember him, he was my friend."

* * *

Fireflies orbited in the cool night air of Forest Haven and disembarking on the pier, the hero distractedly waved the King of Red Lions goodbye and went where his boots took him. The flashes of the imagined past inside the Wind Temple distressed him. Fado sure called him to work, but he never threw the ranching tools and Link certainly never had a pitchfork plunging in his foot. Forcibly pushing unwanted thoughts to the back of his skull, he slashed a lunging bokoblin and grabbed a withered boko-stick, beating the grass to coax more fireflies to the air. Hauling up a ledge and following the stream, Link stopped at the rushing waterfall, it shone quicksilver under the moon.

A violin note flitted across the air, through the crashing waves and bewildered, Link paused in the twirling of his grappling hook and cocked his head. Another note sang past his ears and he pressed his ear against the ground. A beat later, an entire musical piece wafted from the direction of the waterfall and crossing to the top, Link hung his head and listened.

Mother played the viola. During summer, sunlight streamed into the wood paneled music room, illuminating the figure swaying at the casement windows with a viola tucked under the chin. Link ducked out of sight and listened, he was supposed to be studying history, not listening to music.

In the cave under the waterfall, Makar jumped when the forceful thump of boots sounded above his music. He turned, brandishing the violin bow at the intruder. No one is supposed to interrupt when he composed a new piece, the Korok knew to stay away. The music will be used for the next Ceremony and the harmony of instruments played a vital role to the growing of the next generation saplings. He was about to admonish the trespasser but when Link wrung water off his tunic and squeezed his hair dry, the harsh words in Makar's mouth evaporated into a gurgle.

It was _him_, the grinning demon hero who rescued Makar from Kalle Demos.

The human sauntered unapologetically, leaving muddy footprints on the floor. A circle of grass supported a low wooden table, set with a tiny cup and a plate of; Link examined the fruit, cherries. He lopped one in his mouth, scrutinized the mud walls and his pitch irises narrowed on a frame hung on the wall.

A dozen Kokkiri smiled from the faded painting, behind them, trees knit together. The Lost Woods.

"Can I help you?" Makar questioned, he did not like the way the human studied the painting. "I'm busy composing the next Ceremony song; I don't like to be interrup-"

"The Wind Sage is named Fado," Link interrupted and his probing gaze landed on the Korok. "He said he knew you."

Makar tuned his violin absentmindedly, of course he knew Fado, he knew everyone. The Kokkiri children did not age and tucked into one corner of Hyrule, they relinquished their grasp on current events when Link left the village. Their duty done, they silently whiled away their time, changing, shedding parts of their memory and reorganizing their minds to fit with the times. Even so, the imprint of what they once were remained deep in their veins. Makar loved music; he stopped playing the violin when the Wind God took Fado away.

Time and the necessity of a song for the Ceremony urged him to take it up again.

"You mentioned the Hero of Time." Makar waddled to his table, sighing at the two cherries remaining on his plate. "He was a lazy brat who slept most of his time and clashed against Mido. Saria...told Link to stay out of trouble, Navi constantly screamed at him to wake up in the morning."

Link frowned; he did not appreciate having his hero dissected like this.

"Link came to the village when he was a baby, Saria picked him up. She and Mido took turns being parents. Fado and I played music to calm him down...all in all, he was very high maintenance," Makar recalled pensively. "What is he to you?" the Korok questioned, "he isn't only a legacy, you care more about him than any other person I've encountered."

Wondering if Makar would mind if he ate the last pair of cherries, Link reached for them, offered one to the Korok who declined. Popping them in his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully and answered, "He is my maternal ancestor." Makar tilted his head in confusion. "In this timeline he has no successor, but the world I come from - don't ask questions-" Link warned, "I am a direct descendant," he stared at the framed portrait, "they say I resemble him."

The waterfall outside frothed endlessly. Spray dotted the entrance to the cave, moonbeams clawed through, splaying against wet mud in dazzling shapes.

Makar fiddled with his instrument. "What did you come here for? I don't think you stopped by to chat." At this Link grinned ferally. "Please stop doing that," the Korok squeaked, "you give me a heart attack...although I don't think I have one anymore," he muttered under his breath.

Ruminating on Korok biology, Link relented. "I'm here searching for a new Wind Sage, I need your help to traverse the Wind Temple."

Rising on his squatty feet, Makar shuffled to his notes strewn over the floor. A moment later, he felt heat emanating from the human peeking above his head; the Korok gathered the loose papers together and held them tightly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I won't be going to the Wind Temple with you, find someone else."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Crown of destruction**

Shoveling the last morsel of rice porridge in his mouth, Link roughly wiped his lips and placed the bowl in the sink. He will wash it later, he mentally confirmed and dashed out the door, climbing down the ladder to his house and jumping the last few rungs. Securing the leather belt running uncomfortably under his armpit, he bolted for the village, passing Sera with a cheerful wave, nodding at Hanch and shaking his head at Jaggle sitting vigil by a bee's nest for honey. The run across the village left him breathless and when he arrived at the porch to Rusl's house, he took a moment to even his breathing.

And to crush the guilt bubbling in his stomach.

Brushing his fringe to the side, he slowly sat next to Uli who beamed at him and rocked a wicker cradle. Lying on a cushion of cotton sheets, the baby slept peacefully and Link leaned in and kissed her tenderly on her cheek. She smelt of warm milk and inwardly melting, he picked her up, looking at Uli for permission.

Uli smiled gently and inclined her head.

The girl woke in his arms, mouth parting into a perfect oval. Link watched her carefully. She had denim blue eyes like Colin, her fine hair, like threads of corn silk, hung across her forehead. The baby squirmed and rocking her, he offered his thumb. She grasped it tightly with all of her five little fingers and her gaze rested on him. Link wondered what she saw, a coward?

Obviously.

Mid-morning sunshine crept across the porch and Link retreated to a rocking chair by the door.

A second later, Uli stood up, stretching and savoring the warmth. "I'm going to Sera's place," she announced and picked a basket, "I need to shop for groceries; Rusl will be home for dinner." A delicate frown formed between her blonde brows. "He and the Resistance Members are searching for a way inside the Castle." Her eyes took on a thunderous expression. "I understand he does not want to scare me, but I worry more when he doesn't tell me what's going on out there," she shook her head in the general direction of Castle Town, "it's worth knowing the danger to better prepare oneself."

"He's just trying to protect you," Link mumbled and squeezed the baby closer to his chest. He'd do the same for Aryll; he would never let his younger sister know of the terrible things out in the world. Nope. Things like monsters, blood and dark and deep desires were not for Aryll to witness. "Rusl is worried about you, that's why he doesn't want you or Colin or her," he bounced the baby, "to ever see what he does. It's not pleasant."

Grasping the basket's straw handle with both hands, Uli exhaled, "You are becoming more and more like him, I know Rusl is worried, but he should realize that I...we worry about him as well." She stepped on the path. "I'll be back before afternoon; will you be alright with her?"

Flashing confident grin, Link nodded exuberantly. "Of course, I'm a pro when it comes to babies."

"Hmm, I wonder when that happened," Uli trilled laughter and walked away.

Did Midna worry about him?

Link thought and stroked the baby's head, her eyelids drooped shut before snapping open and focusing on something or the other. Mostly, she focused on him, at the stubble on his jaw. When he rubbed his cheek against her, she protested, whining pathetically before calming at a kiss. Link wondered if it was okay to monopolize her like this. Uli or Rusl never complained when he hoarded the baby, but when Sera visited in the evenings, she complained all the affection and slobbering won't help the child grow.

Is that the reason Aryll was shorter than average?

She'll grow; Link placated himself and rocked to and fro. The baby in his arms slept serenely.

He could forget Ganondorf and stay in Ordon. Perhaps the war won't reach here.

Midna's words echoed like a gong in his head. _The fighting will reach here,_ she insisted._ It will come here, like it first came and tear everything you care about._ _The kids, Rusl, the new baby girl you so desperately want to call Aryll but you are too much of a weakling to name her. _

_Go ahead,_ he imagined her malicious smile, _name her._

Call her Aryll, you want to, don't you Link?

"She's not Aryll," he hissed to no one in particular and the child jerked awake. "You will never be Aryll," he cooed and buried his face in her chest. "It's Colin's right to name you, not mine."

By evening, he closed the barn door, sweat caked the shirt to his body and he peeled the outer layers, dismally regarding the new hole a goat chewed in is pants. What did _he_ find so endearing about goats anyway? They stank, refused to listen to his orders and constantly veered away from the barn when he attempted to coax them into its hay filled insides. The goats chewed endlessly, on stalks of dry grass, on his fingers when he fed the kids, on the wooden fence posts. One took an experimental bite of Epona's tail and Link guffawed when his horse kicked. The goat bleated balefully in return and fixed Link an acrimonious stare with its horizontal pupils.

Worst of all, they chewed on his clothes. Uli repaired them on a daily basis and Link entertained thoughts of slaughtering the perpetrator and having mutton stew. His mouth watered at the aroma of meat, vegetables and broth.

Unfortunately he had appearances to keep.

Wiping his salivating mouth, Link bid Fado farewell and headed to the village proper. He opened the ranch's gate and a hand clapped him on his shoulder. Spinning to face the rancher, Link waited for him to speak.

"Want to have dinner?" Fado asked, "I've got new cheese, you eat cheese don't you?" Link nodded absentmindedly, his attention pulling to the long shadow behind the giant man, did the shape move or were his eyes tricking him? "You can tell me stories about your journey; the kids are still in Kakariko aren't they?" Fado talked, but the words soared over the hero's head, he glanced fearfully at the contorting shadow and backtracked. "Oi-" Fado began, the shadow moved and Link screamed as it warped.

Midna is going to come out of it. He swallowed thickly. Her demon hand-hair will taper into a spear and stab him for his insolence. For daring to run away and not help her reclaim Twilight. He escaped when she needed him most. The Twilight Princess will not forgive such betrayal.

She throttled Zant to death.

He saw the shadow of a smile hovering beneath the surface of her face.

"Hey, hey! It's okay," Fado pacified and Link's chest heaved, he fought for breath. Air escaped his lungs and the world spun in dizzying circles. "Calm down, it just me, the goats are all in the barn."

At this, Link giggled hysterically. Goats? Did the idiot _honestly_ think he was afraid of _goats?_

Checking the smear of black behind Fado, Link shut his eyes and opened them again. No wickedly grinning Midna emerged and he slumped on the floor. Fado squatted next to him and grateful for the silence, Link leaned against him and grimaced. Sniffing disgustedly at himself, he sat stiffly upright and Fado let out a long suffering sigh.

"Look, I understand I'm a stranger, but you should realize the village cares lot for you. You're stiffer than the Link I know and getting him to trust someone is like getting water from a stone."

"Water from a stone," Link snickered.

Fado half-smiled. "Exactly, lighten up."

The rich taste of home matured cheese lingered in Link's mouth as he strolled back to Rusl's house. He devoured an entire loaf of bread by himself and patted his stomach; Uli's stew held a special place in his heart and it would be a sin not to eat his share of it. He opened the door and stiffened when he saw Rusl, the man beckoned him kindly inside and blushing at the couple, he shuffled to the table, embarrassment vanishing at the sight of still steaming stew. Inhaling greedily, Link plucked the spoon laid next to the bowl and ate, huffing at the morsel burning his tongue.

"I'm leaving for the sacred grove tomorrow," he pronounced, convincing both himself and Rusl who took a seat opposite him. "I'm doing an experiment," Link related his theories to the older man who listened carefully. "I want to go back home."

Uli joined them. "What?" she queried confusedly. "Home...but this is-"

"It's not his home," Rusl cut in softly, "this isn't the Link we know, he is a child from another realm, a realm the Royal Family of Hyrule refuses to acknowledge."

The stew suddenly lost its flavor and Link lowered his eyes to his lap. Uli judged him no doubt; will she feel the same after knowing who he was? Will she entrust him with the baby he loved so much?

"Oh you poor thing!" she exclaimed and swept him in a warm hug. "Why did you keep quiet all this time?" She patted his cheek. "It must be hard for you."

_It is hard for me._ The hero smiled politely at the stew Uli ladled in his half empty bowl. They sympathized with him.

They loved him. Even if he wasn't the Link they knew.

"Are you really going to the sacred grove?" Uli sat at the table with the baby bundled in her arms. "You should rest more," she asserted.

"He can't," Rusl replied for Link, "the situation in Castle Town is dire, Ordona will be in danger soon, the curtain of Twilight will re-descend on Hyrule if he does not hurry."

* * *

Theory three: Places significant to both worlds.

The Tower of Gods and Temple of Time held similar energy vibes. Both contained an eternal timelessness within the greyish, ivory walls and gold plated columns. In the Temple of Time, Link found a doorway to get back and with this in mind, he found himself in Agitha's house.

What happened to _not_ going to Castle Town? He galloped over fields smoking with embers, the sky tinted pewter, like the time when Twilight encroached upon Hyrule. Only the southern gate remained open, the other gates were sealed shut by the guards, who dwindled pathetically in the face of danger.

A giant pyramid of Twilight covered Hyrule Castle and infringed on the town. Saddled on Epona, Link studied the shimmering barrier, people passed by, some shot him dirty glances as he waited in the middle of the crowd with a horse. Others simply flowed away from him like water diverting from a stream. The residents of the Town were oblivious to the threat mere meters in front of them. How could they be so carefree? He wondered. Didn't they feel the changes in the atmosphere? The way the lake lapped furiously against the shores, the fear in the animals' eyes?

Steering Epona away from the pyramid and the malicious energy raging within, Link's eyes jumped from shadow to shadow. He held his breath at every moving pool of umbrae and gritted his teeth when people massed together, casting large black shapes on the cobblestone. Midna could be here, or there, she could warp over in an instant, if he stayed in one place too long, she will find him and end the experiments he so desperately conducted.

The streets seemed to taper towards Hyrule Castle, several times Link turned in circles, frowning in confusion. Packs of stray dogs and cats, a common sight in the backstreets of Castle Town, vanished to Valoo knew where. Garbage littered the pavements, windows barred shut. Locating the avenue leading to Agitha's house, he scowled at a street urchin trying to peep through the curtained windows and turned the doorknob. It opened soundlessly.

A mug of steaming hot chocolate warmed him from the inside and not in the mood for conversation; he scrutinized the cardstocks mounted on the walls. "I didn't hunt for new ones," he explained to Agitha; firelight flickered in her amethyst eyes, "I couldn't, the fields are choked with monsters and weird plants that bite when you get too close." A tray of fruit pies steamed on the table and he eagerly reached for one of them.

"Be careful," Agitha said when he quickly retracted his hands and blew on his burnt fingers, "they are hot."

"Who did you make them for?" Link asked and bit into one, sugar syrup and cinnamon wafted to the air and he inhaled. "Are there others visiting you?" He recalled the boy on the street; Agitha won't let a pervert inside her house. Who else would come here, in her fantastical kingdom of bugs where she reigned supreme? Although, the walls contained only vividly winged butterflies and oak book cases Link swore he never saw before. Her house felt cold, the chandelier above the table glinted pompously.

Crystal fireflies and ladybugs did not litter the table alongside her ceramic teapot.

Pushing the tray closer to Link, Agitha touched her tablecloth. No bioluminescencefrom crushed bugs stained it. "I made them in case you visit, Grasshopper knight," she replied enigmatically and Link greedily munched another pie, she smiled at the smear of jam across his cheeks. So untidy and straightforward. "Of course I have other people visiting me, Grandfather often joins me for tea, and he doesn't like the ants crawling up the side of the table."

At this, Link laughed.

"And my suitor decided I should read about things other than bugs. He says a bug kingdom does not exist." She tore a paper butterfly in her gloved hands.

Link choked on a piece of strawberry. "Your…what?" The room swirled, all the sugar surged to his head. "What's a suitor?" The pies he gobbled converged into a stone in his stomach. He hoped his assumption was wrong.

"My Grandfather found me a fiancé," Agitha responded tonelessly, "he is a nobleman who sits council at the Castle and says Entomology is a waste of time. Grandfather agreed." The mint green lamps above the mantelpiece vanished.

Pressing the center of a fruit pie till the filling spilled on the tray, Link licked his finger. He wanted to throw up. Visiting Agitha was a mistake. His hand sneaked into his pocket, fingertips brushing against the crystal firefly he took all those months ago.

Months...years, he couldn't tell anymore.

She looked at him, a pleading quality in her mauve irises. A log in the fireplace broke, hissing and releasing a cloud of orange sparks and still, Agitha's eyes did not move from him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't keep my promise about the picnic," Link mumbled.

"It's alright." Agitha scooped the ruined pie on a plate and retreated into the kitchen, her skirts rustling. "You don't have a promise to keep anymore."

When he left, she found a single crystal firefly balanced on the teapot lid.

Maybe the Goddess punished him for taking a wild detour on the destiny they laid out for him. They created a clear end goal and the only thing he wanted to do is wander off course. After the Goddesses used him to vanquish the great evil, will they take the Triforce? Or will he have the golden triangles forever on the back of his hand, shining bright even with six feet of earth above him?

The marble pedestal, magnificent sheath to the Master Sword, gleamed among the mist lying thickly in the Sacred Grove. Grass grew crazily, breaking through centuries old stone columns and flowers bloomed where once a town stood. Cleaning the pedestal, Link tried and failed to read the inscription on it and kissing his sword, he carefully lowered it into the block of stone.

In a whirl of light and shape, the Temple of Time materialized from thin air, it shimmered like a mirage just out of reach and nodding warily to the stone sentinels guarding each side of the crumbled arch, the hero stepped inside the suspended realm. Walls solidified and a staircase of light led to upper floors. Partially hypnotized by the ethereal presence and swallowing the fear overwhelming him, Link cautiously stalked up the staircase. Beneath his boots, the cavernous chasm plunged into a black so deep, it stole his breath away. Focusing on the window showing a glimpse of the past, Link clambered to the top and clasped his hands to stop them from shaking. He reached inside his tunic and his stomach contorted at the empty pockets.

He left the firefly and regret gnawed all the way to his throat.

The scales of justice gleamed bright and echoed his footsteps all the way to the City in the Sky; the hero flinched at the sound bouncing back from the walls. So loud! He examined his reflection, tilting his head to admire himself from all angles. As a child, he often twirled in front of the mirror, exhilarated at his handsome reflection doing silly things. Link prayed to grow up like the man in the mirror and now the same face smiled his smile, rotated his arms and opened his mouth, revealing too long incisors. He rubbed his teeth with a thumb.

Too sharp.

His gaze focused on things he normally would not look at, like the details embossed on the golden dishes, the metal stank. Like the blood he tastes as a wolf.

When the reflection on the scales refused to change to one of a young, pitch eyed boy, Link prowled through the rest of the Temple, searching for the Darknut chamber. There, he might find a remnant of the other Link. A clue to his return home. Perhaps he needed a near death experience in the Temple and Hyrule's Link must be present in the Tower of Gods for the route back home to activate?

"Argghhh!" Link pulled his hair, "why must everything be so complicated?"

The Mid-boss chamber unfolded like a dream. Darting through it like a frightened mouse, Link held his breath, waiting for a monster to come charging out of the darkness and lop his head off. Strangely, he did not fear Midna's reach here. A deathly silence lay in the room along with an undercurrent stench of a rotted corpse. Walking around perimeter, the hero slowly converged into the middle of the room and stifled a scream of horror at the thing lying on the floor.

Blood streaked armor pieces piled next to a mangled shape, bony fingers tangled around the hilt of a slim sword. A thick line of rust ran from a hole in the monster's chest. Dried blood stained the granite floor into a crimson puddle.

Retching at the flesh peeling off the darknut's face, Link's gaze pulled back to the corpse like a magnet. No other wounds, he noted, his eyes stinging. Only a single stab under the ribs, he touched his own chest, hand coming to a stop at his beating heart.

Hyrule's Link killed a darknut with a single stab to the heart.

"Whoa..." Disgust morphing into admiration, he cast one last look at the monster and with a sense of odd triumph, retraced his way back to the entrance. Only when he stepped outside, the dewy grass soaking his boots did it dawn on him. "There are no other monsters in the Temple. He _killed_ them all."

He trembled from the cold. A phantom pain caressed his neck. The scar biting into his throat spilled under the collar, creeping across his chest. Streaks mapped his skin and every time he took off his tunic, Link stared at the constellation mapping his body. Orca compared scars to heroic medals but Link found them ugly.

Each mark contained a cloud of bad memories.

The forest leading to the sacred grove hummed, the tune hauntingly familiar. Fog coagulated to a milk-white screen and drained from jumping from one part of Hyrule to the other with no results to his questions, Link listened to the song. The hairs on his nape stood on edge and sunlight broke through, evaporating the tendrils of mist rising to the surface. Tree trunks threw twisted shadows on the ground.

And the shadows moved.

The humming increased, loud and clear and he rubbed his eyes. Yep, the shadows twisted, whirpooling into an eddy. Wracking his brains for the source of the familiar tune, Link braced, hand reaching for his bow. From the churning depths, a glowing, orange demon-hand emerged.

"It's nice to see you again," Midna sneered, "_Hero_ of Twilight."

* * *

**A/N:** Midna finally finds Link. Will she spear him for his incompetence or will she take pity on the poor guy? Tune in to the next chapter to find out! To be honest, I missed writing her. She is so out of control. Though, Link is genuinely afraid of her, despite feeling safe in her company.

At James Birdsong: Thank you for your comment

Please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

**Ship of Theseus**

_Midna,_ Link gulped audibly, no wonder, the humming was familiar, it was her irritating leitmotif.

Raising his palms in defeat, he asked, "Are you going to kill me now?" Spending an eternity in the afterlife with Zant did not appeal to Link; he'd rather drown fifty times over.

"Of course not," the imp giggled, "your death would be counterproductive to my goals."

Letting his arms drop, Link sunk to the spongy ground, Midna's presence made him feel vastly inferior. Whatever he did, even if he stopped the moon from falling, will pale in comparison to her standing around and doing nothing. "Can I hug you?" the words spilled unwanted from his lips and he clapped a hand to his mouth. "Uh...no I mean...it's good to see you again."

Midna smiled viciously at her bumbling human and the rosy blush on his cheeks. "Hmm? Did you say anything?" she cocked her ear exaggeratedly, "speak up." He sputtered a few inconsequential gurgles and flopped face forward on in the mud. "Well..." the smile stretched wider, "you have to be a prince before you lay your hands on me."

"I'm sorry," Link said, thankful for the cool, wet ground. "I wasn't running away," he raised his grit streaked face, "I was searching for a way back home."

The Twilight Princess floated to his level and stuck her cold, clammy hand under his chin. Shuddering at the contact, Link waited for her to smack him, or at least twist his ear for incompetence, he prayed she leave the earring alone, tugging it hurt worse than getting cut by spears. Instead, she gripped his chin, pointy fingers digging into his skin, no wrath flared in her saffron eye and she appeared genuinely confused and exasperated.

"Do you remember the story I told you about the damaged parts of a broken boat?" Link asked, he sat on a broken stone column, the sun melted the mist and dew sparkled like diamonds on thick blades of grass. Midna perched on his shoulder and nodded slowly. "Grandma actually told me the story first but Sturgeon was the one who explained its name and theory. It's called the Ship of Theseus." He waited for a question, but none came. "Theseus was a hero who had a big wooden ship and due to the constant journeys across the Great Sea for one errand or the other, the ship sustained damage and parts of it had to be repaired." Plucking a twig off the ground, Link absentmindedly broke it in his hands. "Now, bit by bit, the planks making the deck of the ship are replaced, the sail cloths...you know, when the wind hits the sail cloth from behind, it looks like a puffy white cloud you can lay on."

Smiling, Midna urged him to continue, once he finished prattling, she would gently remind him of the greater task at hand; namely, rescuing Princess Zelda. Gritting her teeth at the mistreatment Ganondorf might do to the princess, Midna closed her eye and tried to focus on Link's words.

He told her something important, the tremor in his voice swelled urgently.

"When the ship is completely repaired," sprinkling the broken bits of twig over his boots, Link groped for another object to fiddle with, "is it still okay for it to be called Theseus' Ship?"

Sighing, the imp ran her fingers through Link's messy hair. "You've told me this before and I still don't understand the tale nor do I have an answer for it." Impatience injected her words. "You don't understand it yourself so why bother with philosophical conundrums? Leave those for Zelda, she has the brains," Midna snickered, "unlike you."

Rising from the jagged seat and rubbing his bottom, the hero glanced at the sky. Iron grey clouds blew from the east, a storm lingered in the air. "I understand now," he said so softly it sounded like a whisper of wind. "It basically means we...the Links and Zeldas and Ganondorfs, don't really have an identity of our own." Midna launched off his shoulder, Link spoke but his ice blue eyes solidified with a sage-like knowledge which frightened her. "The Triforce bearers are forced to carry the same piece over and over again," the Twilli hovered in front of his face, "and I always wondered, why couldn't _I_ have power, or Ganondorf wisdom or…or Zelda courage?

"Because we are nothing more than a concept for the Goddesses. Like Theseus' ship which gets replaced and eventually loses its originality, I am the same. There was a first Link, Sturgeon told me, I never paid attention, his fish patties were more important..." At this Link giggled slightly. "So anyway, a first Link, the first Ship, from there the others came, we are the replaced parts. We are one and the same as the first Link." A breeze blew frigid winds through the fragrant pines of the sacred grove. "It took me a long time to come to terms with it...I was born, specifically to subdue Ganondorf...I don't exist."

Tears welled in his eyes and slid across his cheeks. "Grandma and Aryll-" he hiccupped "-are real and whole, they have their own identities. They are they," he scratched shapes in the dirt with a fingernail, "I'm...I'm-"

"Grandma's spoilt brat," Midna cut in and wiped the tears coursing like a river down his face. "So what if you are a concept? Be proud of it," she snapped. "Do you see the other Link sniveling on the ground like you?" He ignored her. "Maybe they didn't come to the same conclusion, but don't you think your Grandma would be proud to see you are doing all you can to stop the manifestation of power ruling over everything else?"

"Huh?" Link sniffed and rubbed his runny nose on a sleeve. "I'm not crying because I don't have an identity," his forehead became a mess of lines, "I'm crying because" he wailed, "I don't have a way back home!"

Tapping into the wells of patience she specifically kept for these instances, Midna took his hands in hers. "How did you come to such a conclusion?" she demanded. "And once I get my full power, I promise to take you home."

Link stared at the small, ebony hands nestled in his own. "You can't. I searched for a way back home and there is only one." Midna nodded for him to continue. "The other Link and I should be in the Temple of Time and Tower of Gods respectively, either him or I must be dying...I don't think he makes such mistakes, and he killed all the monsters in there," he jerked his chin to the area where the temple materialized, "its quieter than a grave. He sealed my way back home," Link hissed.

"And it never occurred to you the Goddesses will shove you back once you finish vanquishing Ganondorf?" Midna floated away, all this thinking hurt her head and her ribcage surged with a bruised pain. Zelda's influence weakened day by day, at this rate, the princess of Hyrule will vanish into nothing.

Missing the sudden warmth, Link clenched and unclenched his hands. For a princess of the infamous Twilli nation, Midna was quite dumb. He wondered of the consequences should he dare say as such to her face.

"Why would they take me back?"

"Why shouldn't they?" the Twilli snapped. "You did their bidding, you finished your quest."

Exhaling, Link whistled for Epona, to think Midna frightened the wits out of him once upon a time. "I just told you," he articulated slowly; "we don't have identities. The Link of Hyrule and the Great Seas are the same." A beat of silence passed. "The only reason I'm here, is because I'm somehow more suited to defeat Ganondorf in this realm, although, if I die and the Triforce decides _not_ to bring me back, he'll take over. It's simple." He traced the golden triangles at the back of his left hand. "But, I'm not going to stop praying." Narrowing his eyes at the burning sun, Link glared at it, "I'm going to pray and hope and give offerings to the Goddesses so they will take me back. They won't have another choice."

The sun seared his retinas and rubbing the phosphenes dancing in his eyes; Link marched out of the sacred grove and tripped over a tree root, smashing his head against the trunk. He yowled and whimpered for his Grandmother to kiss the pain away. Dropping a fresh bottle of milk in his hands, Midna rubbed the bruise flowering on his forehead and smiled at him.

"It's good to have you back."

* * *

The resistance members gathered before the pyramid of Twilight sealing Hyrule Castle. Flinching at the imp seething inside his head, Link concentrated at the plans drawn on brown parchment. Rusl pointed a finger through an old corridor stretching from the tavern and the old man, Auru shook his head, citing his old bones were not suitable for crawling through ducts. Link rubbed his aching knees, after going through Snowpeak province, his joints hurt when he ran too much, was he growing old at this age?

Ashei landed a slender finger on the opposite side of the map and the hero mentally pictured her words. She wanted to burrow from the outskirts of the Castle, digging through bedrock...whatever that meant. Rusl and Shad shook their heads, too labor intensive, they said and brooded, brows drawn.

"We will continue searching for a way inside," Shad rolled the map and placed it carefully in his satchel. "Old boy, you have to get to the Mirror Chamber in Arbiter's grounds, with the last shard of the Twilight Mirror; you will be able to access the Twilight Realm."

Link's stomach knotted, he did not want to go to the Twilight Realm, Midna was with him so he did not mind, although, he still panicked.

"Twilight is not so bad," Shad soothed and ran a hand through his shock of caramel hair, he knelt on the stone floor, they all did and piece of gravel dug in Link's skin. "It's a realm of magic." His denim blue eyes shone expectantly. "They are different to us humans, think of the progression of technology Hyrule would go through once we re-establish contact with both the Twilli and the Ooccoo; we will have a golden age-"

Rusl stood. "Enough Shad, you are overwhelming us." Ashei rolled her eyes expressively and the dark circles seemed to cave her cheeks in. "Like he mentioned, you need to go to the Mirror chamber," Rusl addressed Link, a sympathetic twinkle in his irises, "I know you can do it."

* * *

Sand gusted across the Gerudo Mesa, the moon hung low, accusing and full. The Twilight Mirror stood on its frame of silver, on a raised podium and climbing the small steps, Link delicately reached into his bag for the quicksilver mirror shards and pieced them together. The last shard, edges jagged into cruel lines, he handed to Midna, she regarded her broken reflection solemnly in the mirror and a stray moonbeam, filtering through the clouds choking the sky, fell on the monolith of slate suspended in platinum chains.

Tracing the geometric lines etched across the mirror shard, Midna placed it on the mirror, making it whole. The fused shadows in her body stirred, her headpiece glowed with eerie Twilight magic, resonating with the mirror and the hairline cracks crisscrossing the looking glass smoothed into a perfect circle of silver. She touched the beautiful mirror and besides her, Link leapt backwards when the mirror swung to face the rock and the chains snapped.

The boulder fell, stirring the sand carpeting the mirror chamber.

Light bloomed from the mirror along with a series of magic circles, orphic runes and a triangle depicting the holy power of the Triforce. Weird beings of light shimmered into view and Link drew closer to Midna, his bowstring taut and attention darting from one sage to the other. The sages bowed to the Twilight Princess floating in the middle, their ivory robes fluttering. Swords glinted at their sides and their lips moved in apology.

"We apologize for our transgression, for exiling Ganondorf into your realm and thus leading to this."

Their voices rubbed Link the wrong way and their faces were detached from their...Link blinked at the space between the front of their head and the mask-esque face, which floated several centimeters apart. It confused him, how did they eat? The sages of light wrung their billowing sleeves together, hands hidden by the robe's tassels.

"We wish to atone, but our power wanes." The sages raised their heads, only to meet Midna's smoldering gaze and bowed again. "Please accept our apology."

The Twilli exposed a fang. "You will apologize to Princess Zelda as well," the sages shuffled but no dust rose from beneath their feet. Raising her chin arrogantly, Midna added, "You _will_ apologize to her, for creating the interlopers, for creating Twilight." Her voice snaked its way around the sages. "You will apologize for what you have done to Hyrule and I'll be there to watch you beg forgiveness and laugh when you retreat to the sacred realm, ashamed for groveling in front of a mortal." Wind whistled through the mirror chamber. "Begone! The previous sages must be mortified for your greed and treachery."

One by one, the sages winked away from view, their heads still bowed. Crowing triumphantly, Midna turned to the Twilight mirror, the victorious smirk on her face melting. The stone played images and transfixed, Link watched.

It showed the Palace of Twilight.

A corridor of smooth stone railed by a screen of turquoise lattice. Black squares hung in the air, the horizon bled orange gold. A willowy figure stood at the railing, wearing a cloak and another individual joined the first at the banister. Link's gut twisted, he recognized Zant's silhouette so the person next to him is Midna. Tall, he mused. The Twilight Princess in the memory turned, her face shadowed by a hood, she raised an arm, fingers brushing against Zant's face and Link inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes shut. He did not want to see. When he reluctantly opened them again, Midna bowed low on the floor, her hood slipped back, revealing a shock of marigold hair and Zant forcibly extracted the power from her, cackling and throwing his head back. His limbs jerked erratically, the squares in the air stirred, drawn and repulsed to him. Midna shrunk, drowning in her robes and when every drop of her power emptied to Zant, he crouched low, tried to reach for the gasping princess and received a scratch for his efforts.

"I am going to kill you," the powerless princess rasped, her words sawing through Link, "and I will smile when your blood pools at my feet."

Zant's helmet flitted upwards. "There is a new ruler in Twilight, to defy him means to defy God." On the floor, Midna rose on her elbows. "You understand nothing, he will deliver us from the oppression of Light, you are too weak to oppose the denizens of light, you have no pride but fear not," his tone dipped, silky soft, "I still love you."

The memory ended and rubbing the back of his neck, where the fine hairs stood on end, Link observed Midna. Her saffron eyes lingered on the rock, to the image frozen in stone.

"Like the prophecies of Hyrule, Twilight has one of its own," she twirled around the Mirror of Twilight, "in the sacred vault, magic inks our destiny, it is a room with writing all over the walls and Twilli sages are tasked to unravel it. One of the prophecies depicted a sacred wolf delivering us from the clutches of the Usurper King. When Zelda first told me about you, I was jealous, her realm already had a hero and mine..." Breaking off, she skimmed her fingers across Link's cheek, the coldness tingled his skin. "When you turned into a sacred wolf," she grinned, "I knew I had to take advantage of you."

"You make it sound like I'm _not_ the Hero of Twilight. I am the sacred wolf," Link turned to the staircase of light leading to Midna's home, "don't worry; I'll make your realm safe again." He gingerly climbed the stairs, gaze forward. "You will be back home before you know it."

Softening at his determination, Midna sat on his shoulder. She did not mind her skin burning when it came in contact with his light, she stopped minding such nuisances ages ago, when she teased Zelda and the young princess invited her to read together in the gardens behind Hyrule Castle. During the evening, when the sun set, Midna told Zelda about Twilight, how darkness perpetually bathed it. The Princess of Hyrule hung on her every word, blue irises gleaming in wanderlust.

And Midna wondered if she could grant the one wish of Zelda's.

"We...I want to see Twilight, I care not if I morph into a spirit."

Link's astonished exhale pulled her from bittersweet memories and she recoiled at the Twilight Palace leaping up to her. Banners once fluttered on the charcoal walls, emblazoned with turquoise Twilight emblems. Now the walls hung bare, Zant's evil inscriptions scrawled on them. A few of the Twilli shuffled past Link and he inwardly quivered at their lumpy forms. They wore no clothes, threadbare limbs hung awkwardly from their bodies and a mask, similar to the fused shadow Midna wore, covered their face from view.

Thank the Deku Tree, Link prayed, he didn't want to know what grotesque faces the Twilli race hid under their masks.

"Your people are ugly," Link graciously informed Midna who longingly looked at her surroundings. "Your home is weird." He rotated when she floated in front of a zombie Twilli and attempted to pull of its mask. The thing raised its thin, thin arms sluggishly and Link tensed when it lazily swatted Midna. "Don't touch them," he cautioned, "they might bite and pass their zombie-disease on you."

The Twilight princess stopped struggling with the mask dampening her people's will and scowled at the human. Did he spout crude jokes? Worry flitted across his face and she clicked her tongue in ire. "They were once all beautiful, with tall forms," she recalled, "Zant was handsome." A sly smile curled across her lip when Link irritably swung his head away. "But after Ganondorf came in and I lost my power, it turned into this." She indicated the shadows clinging to the Palace like second skin. No squares of concentrated, wholesome Twilight magic danced in the air. An onyx cloud seeped from the horizon, a miasma weathering her beloved realm.

"It's ugly," Link petulantly repeated, "I don't know how you can stand all this darkness."

"It's my home," she wistfully stated. "No matter how ugly it may appear to you, this is where I come from; this is what is beautiful to me." More sluggish Twilli poured into the square, the walls of the Palace courtyard pulsed angrily with scarlet lines. "You will find it wonderful too, once this realm is cleansed. I promise you, Twilight is a gorgeous realm. You will want to come back here."

The hero shrugged disbelievingly and sprang back reflexively when he tried to climb the stairs and a Twilli barred him. Shoving past the thing did not work; it simply stood there, like a brain dead pillar of meat. Frowning, Link searched the courtyard for other exits and moved to the western corridor with a mooning Midna trailing after him. A twilit deku baba exploded from underfoot, sinking its saliva dripping jaws into his arm and shrieking, Link pulled the alien plant off the crumbly ground and smacked it against a bubbling fountain. The imp stirred the water with her small fingers and scowled at the inky blood diffusing in it. A flock of keese screeched high pitched murder and at their descent, Midna dove into Link's shadow and he whipped the Master Sword out, kissing its cold metal before swinging it through the fluttering monsters. The blade sheared through skin and bone, the dead creatures wisped into smoke.

A door opened into a stone grey room. Seam lines and cyan veins pulsed on the walls and Link peeked into the room before entering. The eerie silence of outside multiplied in the room, his breath gusted in his chest like bellows. Rotating for enemies, the hero petrified at a sound scraping on the floor.

A large fish-mask rose off the etched ground. Holding his sword higher, Link wrinkled his nose in disgust. Finally he could crush that abomination of a helmet, who apart from Zant even wore those?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Making history**

A patch of sand. A struggling sapling. Makar stared angrily in front of him, wind whined deep in the temple, veins of ancient magic radiated through the structure.

Fireflies danced in the cave behind the waterfall, baubles of light shadowed the human's face. When Makar decided he did not want to visit the Wind Temple because of personal reasons, Link left. The Korok heaved a relieved sigh despite guilt prickling his leaf face. He apologized to no one in particular and sat with his notes when the Deku Tree's noble voice boomed softly through all of Forest Haven.

Gathering his violin, Makar flew to the central pool and standing proudly on the giant lily pad, lips tilted into a smug smirk, Link eyed him vindictively. Brushing the human aside and knots forming in his chest, Makar bowed low to the Forest deity and waited for the Tree to speak.

"You shall go with Link," the Deku Tree garbled in tongues of old, "the Wind Temple needs a new sage, you Makar, will fill this role, praying till the Hero regains the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword sparkles with full power." In a softer tone, the tree added, "I do not understand why you do not wish to go."

Makar remembered a time when a young boy ran out of the very same clearing; a pool of water did not form in front of the Deku Tree then, only a windswept glade with knee high grass. When the old Deku Tree died, the Kokkiri children looked after the new sapling. Now the very same sapling issued orders.

He bowed low, taming wayward thoughts. This is why races as old as him are not supposed to cling to old memories.

"Do you mind?" the Korok hissed and squirmed in Link's hold. "Let me down, you are insulting me." The boy reluctantly relinquished his grasp and hovered protectively over Makar who waddled to the sapling, he touched his green thumbs to the water starved plant and it bulked up, shooting grains of sand in their faces. "I can fly short distances with the rotor on my head, you need to climb your way up," Makar said. Two leaves unfolded neatly from the top of his pointy head and whirred, bearing him aloft.

Twirling the grappling hook, Link kept an eye on Makar, steady flying upwards, he landed on a ledge and waited, gaze fixed to the sandstone bricks forming the temple. Gusts of wind eroded the sides into a smooth slab of patchwork stone, golden in one place, bronze in the other. Moss spilled through cracks, glowing fireflies, as big as his pudgy fist, sailed in the temple confines. Grappling the tree, Link hiked upwards, heart leaping into his throat at the disappearance of Makar. He checked wildly, two cyclones ripped near him, wind snatching the tail ends of his cap.

A little stripped sack toddled to a raised switch on the upper platform and the cyclones stopped tearing through Link. Shivering at the biting draft, the hero stalked through the southern doorway and critically inspected a rusted spring switch sticking half a meter off the ground.

He wore his iron books, secured a dour Makar in his arms and stepped on the switch. It depressed beneath his weight and did absolutely nothing. Glaring at it, Link hefted Makar. "Put your arms around my neck," he said, "I need to take off my boots, it'll spring us up to the unreachable platform over there." A scent of overripe apricots wafted from Makar and Link sneezed when the Korok complied with his request, beady eyes shining like drops of wet ink on a leaf. Balancing precariously, the hero pulled the boots off and tucked his legs in when they speared through the air.

Landing with a forceful thud, Link flailed to regain balance and toppled forward, he landed on his chest, cushioned by Makar.

"Are you okay?" Worry seeped into his voice and the checked the child for any injuries. "Do you bleed?" he asked.

"Yes," Makar answered with long suffering patience, hold old was the hero, _five?_ "Don't you?"

A sardonic smile wound on the hero's face. "Hardly. Hylian blood is crimson in color, yours?"

Growing tired of the constant questions posed by his seemingly tight lipped companion, Makar sighed, the groan lost in the howling gust. "I don't know, I haven't bled for centuries nor am I going to cut myself open-what are you doing?" Makar shrieked when Link bent to lick him, "please keep your distance, this is an invasion of privacy!" he squeaked.

"I wondered if you taste like apricots since you smell of them all the time."

"How does Daphnes deal with you?" Makar exasperatedly threw his stubby arms into the air. "It is common knowledge he sought of the Hero of Winds for generations...but you? You look like a child, act like a...a demon and question as if to confirm your suspicions."

Grinning at the normally composed Makar ranting his little head off, Link strung an arrow and fired when an Armos statue thunked onto the platform. The Korok became quiet. Lunging with his blade, the hero cut the stone monster into pieces. Another dragged over grass and met the same fate. Twirling the blade expertly and burying it in the leather sheath, Link surveyed the platforms stitched on the side of the temple. He leaned over the ledge and calculated the drop below. The height will reduce his bones to dust. A handful of brightly glowing fireflies skimmed past his head and he noted the placements of rooms and chambers in a spiral around the central hollow column. Frowning and pacing, he rifled through his backpack, fingers closing over the telescope.

The spyglass gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight slanting through the temple from above. He cleaned it from bloody handprints and put it to his eye. Little sand pits sharpened through the magnified glass, all the platforms contained them. Securing the telescope into his belt, Link turned to Makar, brooding before a block of wild, coarse grass pushing through a broken floor tile.

Touching the telescope and berating himself for not visiting home before he left, Link crouched to the Korok. "I've said this before, but I will remind you again," the hero stated, "I'm going to play the Command Melody and take over your body." Makar lifted his chin, expression unreadable, "I can't really shout instructions all the way over, so I will do the work myself." The Korok nodded his assent. "Also, I'm not what I seem."

"Aren't we all?" Makar drawled in reply.

Not what I seem should be an understatement, the Korok child thought.

The human should come with a warning label plastered on his forehead reading: _Danger_, _keep away to maintain sanity_. Time battered the Korok into vegetative state, they only came alive to fulfill their duties during the Ceremony and spread greenery across the Great Sea. The mutualistic relationship benefited both. Makar plopped to the floor, body wobbling. A searing bolt of lightning pain danced across his body. He gasped at the adolescent in his vision; he looked exactly like the Hero of Time.

If the Hero of Time masked his emotions like a smiling puppet.

The Wind Temple sharpened into hues of pine and sand. Plants and earth. Through Makar's tinted vision, the ground suddenly appeared a lot more lifelike, fireflies wove hypnotizing threads of color into the air and Link felt tiny earthworm vibrations playing like music through his volatile oil coated skin. The gale inside the temple cut him severely, he wiggled and sap roiled like ocean waves into his belly. Smiling teeth, he launched to the air, waving stubby legs over the ground far below and waddled to a pit of sand.

Plunging a seed into the sand and feeling its glass grains slide across his hands, Link worked magic into the plant and it roared to the ceiling, split through the stone and continued to the upper floors. Exhilarated, he pulled his hand back and giggled at the rush of experiencing magic first hand. The towering plant came to a standstill, leaves branching off and casting a great area of shade. Hopping to the next platform, he repeated the process, growing the tree till it grazed the bottom of the upper ledges. When the last tree showered sand in his mouth, Link stood back, wiped his forehead and stared at the tree, pride swelling in his chest.

A shadow peeled off the mossy floor, damp darkened the walls. Spinning, Link reached over his shoulder and his hands closed on air. Muffling a curse, he hurtled across the grass, tripped over his unresponsive feet and crashed to the floor. Makar's skin split open, concentrated sap leaked through the cut, shining a bewitching crimson.

He frowned as the floormaster crept over him, red blood out of a green plant looked so very, very wrong.

* * *

"Link," Makar exhaled and gripped the iron lattice sealing him from all sides, a shadow prowled under the surface layer of the floor and he shivered in fright. After eons of peace, he has the misfortune of getting trapped by Kalle Demos and stolen by a floormaster all within the span of a single year. "You need to be as heavy as the Great Deku Tree to free me."

The boy groaned and wore the tiles smooth with his iron boots, he pushed against the giant slate statue sealing Makar's cell and the Korok did not find the human's antics amusing. "Please be quiet, I'm trying, I won't leave you here alone, I'll get you out of there." Link glowered at the stone head, willing it to move.

"Stone won't explode under your gaze unlike other things," Makar drily informed, "leave me here. There must be another way to get this statue off."

Pausing in his heroic effort to move the unmovable effigy, Link refocused his laser intense glare at the floormaster whirling like dark smoke under Makar's feet. "It's my fault you are in there, I shouldn't have gone alone or taken over," the blood red sap congealed into a thick line across Makar's abdomen. "I promise I'll get you out of there." He bowed stiffly to the Korok child, imparted one last, concerned glance and sailed away.

Working his anger on the countless wizzrobes and peahats, Link calmed and unfurled the dungeon map. Mini cyclones gusted through the Wind Temple and like the Earth Temple, the books wrote little about the mysterious sanctuary. He wanted to pry answers out of Makar, but the Korok was surprisingly resilient. When the child met Fado, he played the Wind God's Aria with his face trained to the ground; the previous sage did the same. No words passed between them, they simply inclined their heads to each other and parted to their respective ways.

A little cyclone, gentle unlike the pillars of water, wind and Cyclos' fury, deposited Link to a horizontal gate-ledge he opened minutes before. A wizzrobe paraded out of reach, its cloak hem brushing across mossy ground. The tip of Link's arrow burst into flames and the flaming projectile cleaved the monster's forehead. It burned into ash, its scream popping with its flesh. A swipe across the grass revealed a few perforated, wooden magic jars and opening them all, Link greedily absorbed the lime auroras. He wondered if he should ask Makar to teach him the subtle arts of sensing magic. He might be able to gauge his magic meter accurately.

Glancing at the top of his head, where not magic meter hung, Link shrugged and pushed ahead to the next chamber.

The metal stake switch sank beneath the combined weight of him and his iron boots. A distant rumble went through the temple and sword at the ready, Link stalked to the edge of the platform where the floor peeled back for a giant fan. Who built this sanctuary? There must have been a team of highly skilled engineers to command such accuracy and cunning. The machinery blended seamlessly with nature, rust did not take hold of the metal lattices and what powered the cyclones? If Medli were here, she would have firmly answered magic and nodded reassuringly. Stomach dropping at the dizzying height, Link fisted the Deku Leaf in one hand and jumped, he did not have time to safely grapple his way down the way a normal, sane person would do.

If the King of Red Lions saw this, the ground and its shades of brown rushed in a blur of motion, he would have surely admonished Link. The boy slung the Deku Leaf across his head and floated placidly, grinning at the boat's supposed lectures ringing in his ears.

He touched to the ground safely, the iron lattice hard underneath his felt boots. _See?_ He told Daphnes, _I'm all right, you worry too much, I'm not a child._

More metal work, embossed with delicate shapes of flowers and plants, blossomed beneath his fingers. No dust, despite the constant wind. The reek of iron and fresh grass clashed together and drinking a bottle of red, strawberry flavored chuchu, Link dragged an iron spring switch to a cut in the roof and dismally considered his height against the implement. Tongue clucking in annoyance, he dragged a small block across, climbed them both and rocketed to a higher platform.

Fragile wooden frames, glistening with long applied resin, lay on the floor at equal intervals, testing his weight on one, the boy quickly backtracked when the insides crumbled into dust, revealing a spike and treasure covered ground below. Disinterested, he left the room and trekked opposite, removing his sword along the way in one fluid motion.

The door scraped shut behind him, the final nail in a coffin. Link liked the sound and its ominous finality.

An orange Wizzrobe waltzed on the floor. Unlike the rest of the temple with its smooth sandstone blocks, the room contained uneven cobblestones. Bricks jutted from the wall, flames flickered, drawing obscure shadows. The Wizzrobe laughed a keening scream and waved its wand, the tip trailing golden sparks.

As the hero charged for the Wizzrobe, he stopped short and ducked when a darknut formed out of thin air and swiped its blade across his head. Holding his cap firmly, Link spun out of the way when a blue wizzrobe fired a ball of ice.

The mini-boss hung in the shadows, conducting the conjured monsters with flicks of its magic wand.

Face reflected in the darknut's platinum breastplate, Link's sword veered straight for the leather straps holding the armor together, he cut into cord, hissed and let the blade go when it burst into flames. The darknut kicked the sword and it juddered over the ground. Prowling away from the two enemies bearing on him, Link unstrapped the hammer and swung it, crushing the darknut's ribs.

Shaking its head, the monster snorted underneath its helmet, pawed the ground and sprinted, holding the sword like a lance.

A shard of ice speared Link's calf and biting his lips, the pulled the projectile free. Blood soaked his pants and cursing, he careened, switching direction in midstride and heading for the giant fireball blooming at the tip of the blue wizrobes wand. The heat seared his face and the darknut mindlessly gave chase. The fireball grew, a giant orb of writhing, bruised flames.

It rushed at Link; inhaling the boiling air and burning his lungs, he dove at the last minute, heat pained angry red patches on his skin. The fireball missed him by a hair's breadth and slammed into the darknut.

The monster dropped, fingers scrabbling for the armor locks, flesh popped in the coat of mail, like meat roasting in an oven.

Grabbing his sword, Link stormed for the orange Wizzrobe, its wand wove through the air erratically for another summon and the Master Sword snapped cleanly through its forearm. Grinning at the dumbstruck creature, the hero lifted his sword and stabbed the beating heart. The blade quivered for another moment before becoming still.

A spray of blood rose in the air when Link pulled his sword back and chucked it, it landed in the blue wizzrobe's head.

The colossal statue barring Makar's cell contained a clawshot - hookshot in this world- target and examining his new weapon, Link triggered it. A glinting arrowhead easily dug into stone and he considered how easily the hookshot will shatter craniums and scramble brains. Holding the silver chain with both hands, Link pulled and the statue glided to the front on barely perceptible tracks. Squeaking in gratitude, Makar toddled out of the cell and unable to help himself, Link carried the little leaf-sack and tossed him high in the air.

"I'm not a baby," Makar grouched, the blood on his abdomen glittering. Grabbing a potion soaked bandage, Link pressed it against the wound. "You don't have to worry, I can't really feel it anymore, it doesn't hurt."

Soaking another wad of linen with alcohol, the boy cleaned his cuts, it stung. The Wind Temple did not contain convenient jars of water to wash the blood starching his pants, nor did a stream rush through it. Scrutinizing the tear and smoothing the ragged ends as best as he could, Link stood, Makar fastened securely in his arms. The Korok did not complain and simply sagged resignedly. Hookshotting to two patches of sand waiting to be planted with saplings, Link placed Makar carefully at the edge and observed the latter dropping two seeds. He did not feel the same electric spark, but one after the other, the seeds sprouted at an alarming rate and two gnarled trees stood in their place, shedding dark green, glossy leaves.

In the Temple, two cyclones roared into existence and grabbing Markar, Link marched to the edge and blinked.

"We have to go separately," the Korok child informed the frowning human. "You can't use the Deku Leaf while holding on to me, and I can't bear both our weight." The lines on Link's face deepened. "The cell can't be used anymore, I don't think the floormasters will try to steal me.

Without waiting for the contemplating hero's verdict, Makar wriggled out of Link's hold and jumped. Emotion flared in the human, worry, anger. People thought plants were only sensitive to light, but through the years, Makar found the Korok were sensitive to almost everything occurring across the Great Seas.

The rise of Ganondorf? They felt it first.

When Link failed to be born as soon as the Gerudo prince reached a mature age, the Deku Tree informed the King of Hyrule. The nation waited patiently, scouring the continent for a blonde Hylian baby bearing the characteristics of the bearer of Courage, alas, such an individual did not arrive and with a heavy heart, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule sealed his beloved castle in a timeless barrier reminiscent of the sacred realm and prayed for rain to flood the land.

The next few years, rain did not cease, the races changed, some survived, others could not adapt to the new environment and became extinct. Immortal from such influences, the Kokkiri children's physiology changed. They became the Korok.

A herd of armos statues met their swift end at Link's bow and blade. The lime green glow indicating their existence snuffed out one after the other. Peahats, racing away from the tanned demon, screeched in terror when bright arrows severed their organic rotors. Flaming arrowheads charred their bodies and a breeze carried their ashes away.

Boy and Korok played the Wind God's Aria, the song's final bars cracked the stone tablet and it fell away to a gilded chamber guarded by three patrolling darknut. Tucking the WindWaker, Link twirled the sword in his hand and hesitated at the threshold. Outside, Makar drew his bow across the violin in a soft lament.

The sad song of an ocarina threaded the air.

"You never told me why you didn't want to come to the Temple. I apologize for forcing you to come here but there is little choice for us," Link said.

Makar stopped stringing the violin. "I am fine with secrets, you keep yours, I keep mine," he brusquely replied.

"..." The Master Sword cut through the air in precise arcs. From the room, the darknut halted in their march, observing the outsiders uncertainly. "The King of Red Lions taught me how to trust." Link's knuckles turned white on the sword hilt. "It does not come easily to me, my whole life I've been taught to mask and cover, to do things how I see fit. Now I try to let others help and guide me...I want to trust you and I can't do so when this," he gestured vaguely to the air, "shadow hovers over us."

Darknuts marched, their hooves drumming on stone.

"Zephos is the god of Winds." Makar's short legs ached; traversing the temple required a huge amount of energy. "When the Wind Temple was newly built, he travelled the world for a sage and arrived at Forest Haven. For some reason, it was agreed that the sages of both temples should be proficient in magic-"

"Agreed by whom?" Link asked.

"Stop interrupting me and listen!" Makar shrilled. "I don't know who agreed it, but we have a policy of non-interference ever since Saria...never mind." The Korok fiddled with the bow. "In any case the Deku Tree did not want to let us go but Zephos insisted and took Fado. A month later we got the news that Fado and the Earth sage were both murdered by Ganondorf."

Silence; thick and choking the air.

"I did not want to come here because I thought I will meet the same end as Fado," the over powering smell of sickly sweet apricots flooded the vestibule, "but because for the past century, I've done nothing to avenge him. Nothing to remember him by."

Hefting the sword till it gleamed with the light falling in the temple, Link vowed. "I will do it; I will make it right."

* * *

Minutes later, he arrived with a giant key fisted in his fingers, vainly scrubbing the blood splashed against the tunic. The trees planted in the temple became hookshot targets, the claw sinking into their yielding bark. Butchering a trio of cyan flamed bubbles attempting to thwart him from climbing the platforms, Link carried Makar to a room paneled with polished wooden beams. Two carved switches lay in front of a metal lace and dropping the Korok on one, the hero jumped on the other.

A powerful gust of wind blew from the very bottom. The giant fan ground into motion. Counting the seconds it took for the fan to stop and start, Link jumped. They floated downwards and Makar's head rotor prevented them from meeting a bloody end at the bottom.

"That was dangerous!" the Korok lectured, "you shouldn't take such risks!"

In response, Link politely smiled.

To the Korok's rising panic and disbelief, instead of stopping the blade traps with strategically placed blocks, Link hurdled across, an olive green blur weaving through the wicked blades hissing over the ground. The traps missed the human by fractions of a second and he laughed, cheeks flushed in thrill. Makar did not want to know what went through the human's head, nor did he attempt to find out. The Hero of Time was considered partially insane to continue forging a path through the dark ages of Hyrule alone, and his successor inherited his special brand of lunacy.

Staring in the face of death and grinning at it.

The boy picked an obscure blossom growing in the cracks of the Temple wall and pressed the baby blue petals in a book. Lowering for Makar, Link flipped through the journal and explained, "I pick flowers for my little sister." He paused to let his statement sink in; he never picked flowers for anyone, much less a baby sister belonging to someone else. "I want to show her all the things in the world," a dried petunia fell from the pages of the yellow book and he delicately lifted it and fixed it in place, "I have a collection of seashells as well, I'm going to teach her how to use a bow." Pitch irises gleaming in pride, he shut the book, slammed the big key into the giant padlock bolted door and it groaned upwards, revealing a sea of sand. "Please wait here, I won't be long."

And Makar waited, the image of a fragile flower embossed on his mind.

* * *

**A/N:** I like writing Grumpy Makar, I think he's cuter when angry. As for the Ship of Theseus theory, there are a bunch of other ways it can be interpreted so peace, everyone. I first came across it in the DS game called 999 and have been fascinated since. The game itself was very fascinating.

Much gratitude to Setriel for favoriting the story. It keeps me motivated

Once again, read and review. Constructive criticism and theories are greatly appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read, hope this story makes a small part of your day.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

**Wolf wrapped in silk**

Sand sucked him towards the writhing monster. Molgera surfed and Link tracked it angrily, his hookshot poised.

It rose, a snake-like body coiling above an ocean of sand grains. Vibrations played on Link's legs, he sloshed through the gritty pool, fighting to keep balance. Molgera opened its mouth, jaws stringy with saliva and a blue reed tongue sticking straight from its gullet.

The hookshot speared into the appendage and the monster thrashed, a tidal wave of sand hit Link and he slipped, sliding all the way into Molgera's waiting jaws.

Sawteeth plunged into his injured calf, blinding pain brought phosphenes to his eyes and he blinked the dizziness away.

"Swing harder," the helmed guard instructed. "Harder!" His harsh words filtered through the helmet and Link obstinately swallowed and swung. His joints ached, his muscles screamed for a break but in the courtyard of Hyrule Palace, a hundred other trainees did the same and he will not be the one left behind. Focusing on a raised parapet, he forced his blade to whistle through the air and the pain numbed to a burning, prickling sensation.

Movement on the parapet brought Link back to sharp focus, his overworked arms begged for release but he renewed his grip on the sweat slicked sword handle and swung fiercely, trying to catch the attention of a delegation striding across the bulwark. The Captain led a marching group and desperate, Link sliced the air ferociously. The man above him, helmet tucked under an arm and two swords dangling from ornate sheaths, paused for a split second, head swiveling to the sandy haired boy below. Conscious of the delegation stopping to ogle at him, Link practiced with one point concentration and the dark haired man's words carried clearly over the labored breathing in the stone paved courtyard.

"My son," the captain offered to the delegates and elegantly whirled away. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the Castle Guards, yet, his chainmail tunic shone more vividly. The dark haired man said nothing else. No flowery presentation.

Nothing of the Triforce bearer of Courage.

Breath exploding in ragged gasps, Link pried Molgera's jaws off his calf and pulled the hookshot. The monster screeched, its tail hitting the sand and tried to retract. Blinking away the sweat pouring into his eyes, Link slashed thrice in rapid succession and back flipped, his calf and toe throbbed in pain and he touched one knee to the ground, breathing heavily.

Molgera dove into its pit and a dark shadow revealed its location. Keeping it well in sight, Link moved accordingly. When the monster reared back in the air, the hookshot snared its tongue and it heaved to the ground.

An accurately timed spin attack cut Molgera's teeth and left its mouth a butchered, bleeding mess seeping into the sand.

A circlet of rock solidified in the center of the room along with a shaft of silvery, magical light. The door behind Link opened and Makar waddled in, violin and bow at the ready.

At the portal leading outside, the Korok played the Wind God's Aria together with Fado and letting the WindWaker drop, Link listened to the song. Music had a way to tug at the heartstrings, he thought. All those emotions he tried so hard to bury, spilled through the cracks made by the King of Red Lions. The boat softened him, beating seams into the mask he religiously maintained. The boiling vat of smothered pain, cultivated mistrust and fierce determination frothed over.

And it hurt.

Link did not want to feel, he craved the peace of mind attained by slaughtering monsters. Nightmares could be wrestled with, not feelings of abandonment and pain.

Makar bowed low to him and Link smiled widely, he liked the little Korok and his unpredictable moods. "Thank you," the new Wind Sage said respectfully and the Master Sword hummed, filled with power and eager to banish evil. "I will stay here and pray for your triumph," the Korok's leaf face pinched with effort, "and I am happy to see Fado again."

Outside, a breeze blew, crisp and clear. Gale Island no longer kept other sailors away with a perpetually gusting wind and embarrassed at his eagerness to see the paint peeled boat, Link pranced over the shores and landed with his characteristic, forceful thump of boots.

Quiet.

Too quiet.

A brightly colored feather lay on the deck and grasping his sword; he stalked to the deckhouse, noting the subtle signs of struggle. Claw marks slashed the taffrails, a talon gouged wood. The door to the cabin remained closed but no muffled signs of activity came from within.

He kicked the door open. Zelda kept the bed tidy after he complained one to many times. Clothes hung haphazardly on a stick-wardrobe, his tunics spilled to the floor. Maps, books and a candle littered the table and Link scrubbed a pool of wax congealed on a Triforce chart. Her neat handwriting, at odds with the rest of her, peeked from notes tucked beneath a book of ancient history and rifling through it, Link searched for clues.

A feather in dazzling colors swept into the cabin.

The Helmarock King.

Rushing outside, Link skidded to a stop before the figurehead. "Princess Zelda..." he began, his stomach dropping. This couldn't be happening. He never had a chance to apologize for his rude behavior.

"Has been taken hostage by Ganondorf," Daphnes completed and Link dropped weakly to the deck. "It happened after you entered the Wind Temple with Makar. She came out to sun herself." The King of Red Lions related how Tetra asked if the uppity brat and apricot sack left, when Daphnes confirmed Link's absence, she walked out, clad in her pirate's garb. At this, Link sighed. "Zelda set a target at the back, I believe she took your advice to heart and practiced with the bow, unfortunately, her arrows kept soaring off course and eventually she swung her dagger across the air."

Palm trees waved on the beach, a breeze lifted the fronds and fluttered them down.

"A shadow crossed the seas and without looking up, I knew it was the Helmarock King, a new one cracked its egg after the previous one died by your hands." The King of Red Lions creaked. "It took her, she fought back valiantly but lost the struggle, the bird plucked her off the deck and I watched uselessly."

"I suppose the child probably felt the same way when his sister was taken." Link touched the journal he took to carrying around. The flower he pressed in leaked on the pages, staining it a faint teal. A bit of seashell, stuck in the deck planks tugged his attention and restless, he bent on his hands and knees and pulled it out. "I should go after her, however..." he stared at his left hand, "I need to collect the Triforce shards before facing Ganondorf. What should I do?"

Daphnes regarded his passenger.

_Who was this?_

"Are you asking _me_ my boy?" Link's cheeks flushed, an occurrence happening more frequently. "Well... the rational thing to do would be to have your Triforce charts deciphered."

The boy frowned, grabbed a chart stored in a nearby chest and his lips moved soundlessly, trying to make sense of the cryptic code on the map.

"And yes, to complete the Triforce of Courage before clashing with Ganondorf."

"It's the rational thing to do," Link repeated. "It's what _I_ would do." He clutched the map tighter, the sheet near breaking point. "What would someone else do?"

Waves lapped against the boat and he drifted further apart from Gale Island's beach. "The child would rush at Ganondorf," the King of Red Lions mused, "it is how he operates." Link nodded, jaws taut. "He will come back beaten, bruised and hunt for the Triforce before resuming his rescue of the Princess." Daphnes peered at the horizon, each time he tried to picture his own children; a princess with pearls of wisdom in her eyes and a rosy cheeked prince who hopped around the throne room with carefree abandon, he realized he failed to recall their appearance. Prussian blue irises turned like a magnet to Link.

Every time he closed his eyes to see his children, he saw the blonde boy rooted on the deck. A Triforce chart hung loosely in his hand.

"King of Red Lions sir?" Link prompted impatiently. "Maybe I should visit home first."

The outlandish suggestion forced the boat to open his eyes. "What?" Daphnes sputtered. The hero tucked his chart away and grabbed the colorful feather, tearing it into strands and blowing them to the sea. "My boy…are you serious?"

His tar irises shone seriously. "Yes, I want to see if Grandma and Aryll are safe."

* * *

If the visit to Outset was supposed to calm Link, it did not.

The King of Red Lions held his breath as the boy stormed across the grassy slopes and on the beach. Rage simmered in the curve of his tight smile as he hugged his Grandmother tenderly and she pressed her wrinkled lips on his forehead. Link marched across the pier, the wood quivering under his wrath, he lowered in the boat, rigged the sail and waved farewell like a sweet boy till Outset Island receded into a smudge on the misty sea.

"Aryll did not return home," he hissed and hunted for the whetstone, the bone chilling scrape of metal on stone rung loudly in the air. "It's not Zelda's fault." He flicked the blade sideways without looking and a dying shark's ruby blood stained the waters. "When I cross those pirates," a predatory grin lifted the corners of his mouth, "I'm going to grind them into fish bait. I'll save the hulking second mate for last." Wind tousled his hair and bore the reek of iron. "I asked Sturgeon to decipher the Triforce charts; he said he couldn't, he told me to go to Tingle. I don't know a Tingle, do you?" Getting up, Link hung over the King of Red Lions who skimmed over the waves. "And if he is such an expert on deciphering charts, I'm surprised the Pirates didn't get to him first," Link squinted at a marked location on his map, north east of Outset Island, "I heard he lives alone...I admit, I'm looking forward to see him."

Thunder growled in the west, the sea sped in a blur as a cyclone rushed Link and Daphnes across the sea. Stuffing a bunch of herbs in his mouth, the boy closed his eyes in an attempt to mediate the rising tide of nausea. The King of Red Lions admired his tenacity, the boy lasted till night, he crawled weakly to the side of the boat and his pitiful retching reached the boat's ears.

"Try to eat something light," Daphnes coaxed as Link stared dismally at the wind rotating under them. "This is an inconvenient way to travel, we should have sailed instead."

Lurching to the food crate and peeling an orange, the hero scowled. "Sailing would've taken weeks," he gagged, "and we don't have time. I know Ganondorf won't extract the Triforce from her, he will take it after beating us to submission, or so he thinks." The scent of citrus calmed his roiling stomach. "In any case, he will want to take it from both of us at once but I don't trust him, he might hypnotize her to do her bidding," his voice dropped, "it has been done before."

A few days later, the boat bumped against the cliff shores of Tingle Island. Sallow cheeked and mouth opening in disgust, Link goggled the figure erected on the very top of the tower and shared a glance with the King of Red Lions. "That's Tingle?" he pointed an accusing finger at the figure, "I freed him from jail at Windfall Island, how is he supposed to be an expert on maps? I recall him garbling something about being a fairy!" The boy tended to the Master Sword, carefully cleaning it from crusted blood and oiling it. "Did you know about this?" His eyes pinned to the boat, furious for not being informed.

"Tingle is a bit eccentric," Daphnes conceded and Link rolled his eyes. "If I notified you beforehand, you would simply insist on finding another person who is not Tingle." Link spread crumbs on the surface of the sea and a school of Fishmen gathered to eat. "And although the Fishmen are expert cartographers, they are not suited to deciphering charts. Tingle," the boat smiled, "is vastly attuned to magic."

The boy snorted and trigged the hookshot, the tip sunk into pewter stone and he tugged the chain, when it held, the hiked to the island. "Of _all_ the people to be attuned to magic, Tingle becomes the expert," he chuckled sarcastically and reached the top. "I'll return as soon as possible," Link shouted and the boat floated on docile waves, "please wait for me."

_Of course I'll wait for you_, Daphnes blinked indulgently and the child scampered off. Link always sought for an acknowledging gesture before leaving. Recently, he lingered longer, patiently waiting for a smile and once the boat's painted eyes crinkled, he brightened and spun on his heel, departing for whatever task lay ahead.

The sun spread scarlet on the calm sea and lips twisting into a displeased frown, Link reached the base, body tense for any monsters leaping out of the overgrown grass. The wooden tower, floor painted in warm tones of ochre, jutted out of the island and ended with the disgraceful figurehead. Tingle was far from handsome; Link entered the dark, cool confines of the building and the wood creaked beneath his boots, a glowing fairy would suit the tower cap better.

Wood rasped on wood, faint light lit the inside, drawing shadows in the corner. Large clay jars stood in a single, neat row and Link glared at them, fingers itching. They stared back, smug. A shelf contained dusty maps, their forms barely visible. Tensing when the middle beam of the tower rotated, Link examined it, the shaft started at the top and descended right through the floor and probably into the earth. Rapping his knuckles against it, he stalked to the set of varnished stairs and climbed it, emerging to an open platform.

Cursing the sight greeting him, Link started for the stairs. His pride as a man dwindled rapidly at the figures dancing in front of him.

"You are the gentleman who freed me from the cell," Tingle trilled, skipping to the hero who glowered at the individual towering above him. "Welcome to Tingle Island!"

"Welcome to Tingle Island!" the rest of the suit clad men echoed cheerfully and turned the central shaft.

Link recoiled. Why did they all look exactly like Tingle?

Retrieving the Triforce charts from his backpack, the boy stiffly handed them over. "I want the charts deciphered," Link politely requested, "as soon as possible. I need the Triforce to do battle."

Ruddy cheeks scrunching into a saccharine smile, Tingle scrutinized the coded charts. "Hmm~ decoding these charts will cost you-" He broke off when Link thrust a woefully empty wallet in his hands.

"It's all I have," the boy off handedly commented and turned. He wanted to cry. A leather belt bit into Tingle's belly flab and the man wore underwear on top of his skin tight suit. Link never wore such scandalizing clothes and going around bare-chested in the village was out of the question. Goats didn't ask questions about his scars, people did.

"Um...my service takes more than three thousand rupee-" Tingle began.

"Does it look like I have that amount of money?" Link barked. "No. Get it over and done with," he tapped his foot, "I don't have time."

Thud, thud, thud; the little boy's boot beat an ominous premonition on the floor. A shiver ran down Tingle's spine. The child watched him, vulturine gaze probing for a mistake. Clashing energy emanated from him, the chosen hero leaked a discordant magic, at odds with the rest of the Great Seas.

He did not belong here.

"I don't have an entire night." Dark veins pulsed under Link's eyes. "Hurry up," he growled.

Tingle decrypted the map on the lower floor, index finger pointing to the areas buried with the shards of Triforce. Initial hostility ebbing, the boy took keen interest, asking questions and eventually a smile crossed his lips. Keeping stray thoughts to himself, Tingle showed him how to best approach the areas. "The ancient magic shines a beam of light to the sky," a scintilla of disbelief flitted on Link's face and he nodded gravely, blonde eyebrows drawn. "The Triforce is in tangible pieces, you cannot dive to the ocean's floor to get them so you will need Daphnes' help."

"Does everyone on the Great Seas know him?" Link questioned. Every shore he traversed, the boat and the inhabitants interacted familiarly. He quashed a stirring in his chest.

Envy?

"Oh yes!" Tingle clapped his hands and swayed; Link gritted his teeth and trained his attention to the floor. The urge to break the pottery jars in the room grew to an overwhelming desire. "When I was young, the King of Red Lions used to be the object of ridicule," Tingle related. "People made fun of him for searching the Hero of Winds, most islanders gave up hope." The central shaft rotated with a squeak and a shout from the Tingle-men above. "But he has the last laugh, he found you and you are the chosen hero of our oral legends."

A knowing grin cut the boy's face. "I wonder," he cryptically remarked and rolled the charts, storing them carefully. "Thanks for everything, I'm sorry about the money," he apologized. "I don't really collect treasure, I didn't think it'd cost me anything to have them decoded, you have my gratitude." Firelight rested on his voluminous puff of hair and he bowed.

"You can stay for dinner," Tingle suggested brightly, the child's odd rhythm fascinated him; he was too precious to be transformed into a worker. The man rubbed his hands, he could try, but he suspected the boy will cut him before the magic took root. The hero's reflexes snapped lightning fast and he wore it confidently.

Inhaling sharply, Link refused and bolted.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Phantom and fog**

Grinding the fish-head mask under his spiked ball and chain, Link, satisfied, kicked the remains into the corners of the room. The ruby lines pulsing in the seams of the slate bricks, morphed into a friendly teal and Midna floated to examine them. A gate obstinately barred the way and clawshot target plates hung above. Stomping his boots to get rid of the dust, Link switched his weapon and flew to the upper platforms, he huffed impatiently for his companion who slowly tore away from the walls and reluctantly followed him.

Charcoal fog, studded with glowing specks of scarlet, filled a large room and cautiously sniffing the air, Link shot an arrow through the cloud of black. The mist parted for a split second and closed, jealously guarding its secrets. Ears strained to hear the slightest sound, Link paled when he glimpsed another mask swimming in the depths of the fog. He stood on tip toes and the grind of chafing stone reached his ears. The fog moved like an amoeba and inwardly shrieking, he retreated from its nebulous reach.

"How many of those stupid masks does your fiancé wear?" he irritably asked and pointed at the mask, it shot a fireball and struck the opposite wall, leaving a scorch mark. "The people here can't dress; you need a lesson on proper clothing choices."

Griping and skirting the fog, Link took a carful step forward and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His pupil dilated and he reeled backwards, a howl exploding out of his throat. The shadow crystal lay heavily in his pocket and blue-grey fur erupted out of his arms. Bone snapped, crackled and he reformed as a sacred wolf, sidestepping in time to avoid a fiery projectile from roasting him. His vision cleared into a grainy field and floating orbs of concentrated Twilight magic.

Jaws snapped on the mask's smooth surface and slipped. Licking his aching teeth, Link lunged again, furiously trying to sink his teeth in stone. The fish-head heated in his mouth and the scrambled back, snout singed. Spitting at the mask, his ears lay flat on his head when Midna royally sailed in the fog, her demon-hair glowing.

The hair swarmed over the mask and crushed it, fragments crumbled from Midna's hand-hair and Link glowered at her smirk.

Why couldn't she help him earlier?

Outside the fog, he buckled when his physiology changed again. The over bright shades of stone faded, he could not distinguish minute crack lines nor scent the warped magic blanketing the realm. Base of his spine aching, he hobbled after Midna. She sped ahead, disregarding the twilit deku babas all lunging for a piece of Link. Using the gale boomerang, he knocked most of them out and rushed, just in time to see the Twilli disappear into a rectangle of darkness cut into the floor. Halting at the lip and searching for hand-holds to let him gently into the yawning pit, Link grabbed his hair in frustration. Above, a clawshot target plate winked merrily. He quickly speared it, gulped and descended without thinking.

The ebony air clawed into his mouth and eyes and he coughed to get rid of the choking sensation. A disengaging click echoed in the gloom and he yelped in surprise when the clawshot chain flashed silver and he fell on the cold, hard ground below.

"Sol," Midna whispered.

A loud smack of human meeting stone reverberated behind her but her saffron eye fixated on the hand covering a fulgent orb. Ribbons of sapphire light snaked across the room and Link rose from the ground, rubbing his aching muscles and snarling about carelessness. Transfixed, Midna lowered to the pedestal jailing the Sol, she touched the complicated runes and a crackle of lightning blasted her against the opposite wall. The smell of ozone oozed into the room and her hair stood on end. She weakly slid to the floor, eye screwed determinedly on the blinding white orb.

Two walls of Twilight slammed into the room, throbbing with angry, blood red lines. An image flickered in the space between them.

Phantom Zant.

Bewildered by his off-washed appearance, Link's eyes flickered toward Midna. She torpedoed off the ground, little hands outstretched for her traitorous advisor and he charged across the room, grabbing her before she reached the phantom.

"Are you crazy?" he admonished, she did not look at him. Her fang glinted in the harsh light of the room and her expression dripped poison. The holographic specter raised an arm and Link jumped back with Midna. "Stay in my shadow," he ordered, "I'll deal with him."

She turned her searing stare at him. "Are you telling _me_ what to do?" Her tone dropped into a dangerous murmur.

Forcing himself to hold her iron will stare, Link nodded. "Yes." His voice cracked. "I've been listening to you ever since I've arrived here," he raised his chin defiantly, "the least you could do is accommodate me once in a while." Her impish features tightened. "Please," he pleaded softly, "you are scaring me."

Unclenching her fist, she smirked sardonically at the portal opening near Zant's sleeve. A multitude of Twilight creatures poured forth and she vanished as a flock of keese flew into Link's face. Flailing, his fingers brushed against his bow and he grasped the Master Sword, in the air of Twilight, it shone brighter, a beacon of hope. The humming blade cut through the monsters effortlessly, like scissors gliding through silk and he slashed, a shred of confidence guiding his attacks. Drawing on the feeling, he cut towards Phantom Zant, the blade slicing through the hologram.

The figure disappeared and Link imagined its smug smile. Would Zant smile like Midna? Full of prideful certainty? Or did his lips quirk in anticipation of betrayal?

Giving chase, the hero skidded to a stop and whirled around to slice the hologram appearing out of thin air. The specter raised its tasseled sleeve and melted, reforming a teasing few meters in front of Link. Holding the sword, Link pelted after the constantly appearing and disappearing phantom. It enraged him. He grasped for the fish-head mask cloaking Zant's head in obscurity and Link's hand closed in thin air.

"Angry?" Midna laughed in his head. "It's what he's good at," pain stung his temples, "playing games. He had me wrapped around his sleeves. Besides you can't really touch him, he's an afterimage, I killed the real him at Arbiter's Grounds."

And how did it feel? Link wanted to ask. Instead, he focused on carving the phantom before him. The silver blade phased right through the middle of the mask and the phantom dissolved.

Doubtful he truly vanquished the illusion; Link pressed his mouth against the freezing blade and sheathed it. He crawled to the ball of light and at his approach, the hand covering it eased slightly. Midna detached from his shadow and hungrily hovered above the light.

"This is a Sol," she explained, "it is the sun of the Twilight realm." She indicated the Sol, "isn't it beautiful? You should take it back to the Twilight Palace."

"M-me?" Link's brows furrowed, he did not want to touch the Sol, _thank you very much_. Besides, the thing looked heavy, how is he supposed to fight while lugging an eye searing ball? "I'm not sure I can..." he faltered. "Fine, you can't touch it can't you?"

Midna grinned knowingly and suppressing a shaky grin of his own, Link cradled the Sol in the crook of his elbow. He tore out of the room and paused when something shuffled behind him. "Do you hear that?" he asked Midna, she glued her eyes on the Sol and shook her head distractedly. Tensing and slowly looking back, Link screeched, "Holy Jabun! Why is that thing following me?" He scampered with the Twilight hand hot on his heels. The hand tracked him relentlessly, fingers running erratically on the ground and the image did not sit well with him, it gave him nausea. "Midna, stop that thing, isn't it one of your subjects? Tell it to stay!" Clutching the Sol closer to his chest, Link blinked back tears, why did all the weird stuff happen to him?

The Sol grew heavier with each step and arms aching, Link gently dropped it to the floor and strung an arrow in his bow. The projectile flew and pierced the Twilight hand stalking him. Oily sweat coated his forehead and rubbing it with his sleeve; he picked the orb and continued careering to the Twilight Palace courtyard. The paralyzed hand twitched into motion and sprang on its finger-legs, Link giggled at the thought; he looked at his own legs, scowled and ran.

Over the darkening horizon, the courtyard inched into view. More zombie Twilight wandered aimlessly and putting on a burst of speed for the last stretch, Link held his breath and sprinted, he tripped over an intricate dent in the center of the courtyard and the Sol soared out of his hands.

Oh no.

The fulgent orb defied the normal laws of physics, stuff thrown went up...not down, and curved, neatly settling into the indent at Link's feet. He gasped when porcelain light flared, bathing the yard. A nearby Twilli paused in dragging its feet, the mask on its face crumbled and Link ogled unashamedly at the individual.

A young boy with piercing, saffron irises.

His eyelids fluttered open as if waking from a dream and he blearily absorbed his surroundings, eyes wide in fright at the human in the courtyard. The boy crouched to the ground and trembled when Link approached. Other Twilli exhaled noisily when their snares crumbled and ignoring them, Link wrapped his arms around the shaking boy and smoothed his russet curls from his forehead.

The child garbled in Twilight language, voice pitching in excitement and the hero shook his head, he understood nothing. The boy tried again, this time gasping in the tongues reminiscent of the Zora and dismally, Link shook his head. Two tone face contorting with effort, the child's delicate features scrunched and he spoke through a dozen other fish sounds and rock sounds before his words made sense.

"Who are you?" he asked, wariness morphing into curiosity. The adult Twilli towered into a semi-circle behind Link and he felt their probing gazes stabbing his back. In contrast, the boy barely reached his thighs. So small. "You must be a denizen of light," the child piped, irises sparkling in wonder. "You look weird."

Says the black and white cookie with teal tron lines running from his belly.

"I'm the sacred wolf," the words tumbled out of Link. "I am here with your Princess to save the realm of Twilight."

An astonished ripple passed through the adults, they stiffened and backed away. The cyan veins on their bodies darkened and changed back to red and Link's head whipped to the little child. The Twilli shivered, the lambent emblem on his stomach darkening. He seized the child and hugged him, perhaps his light will force the corrupted magic to stop spreading.

"Hurts..." the boy whimpered and a mess of foreign Twilli language spilled from his mouth. Little fingers reached for Link's pointed ears. "You look different; I've always wanted to see a hume..." The cracked pieces of the mask smothered his last words.

Link held the limp child on his lap. Midna sat on his shoulder, gaze on the palace.

"There are other Sols to be placed in the courtyard," she softly informed, "we should get moving." Laying the child on the slate ground, Link placed a bottle of milk next to him, his own stomach growled loudly and he crammed a sandwich in his mouth. It tasted off. "He's not dead you know," the Twilli stated. "Once the corrupt magic is purified, he will come back again."

"I know..." The hero brushed his thumb across the child's cold palm. "But he said it hurts..." he muttered, "and I know how it hurts."

* * *

Shadow beasts prowled in the black fog, one clamped Link's hindquarter and howling, he shook it off and clawed the mask. A piece of it broke, revealing a crimson eye and suddenly afraid, Link shrunk.

What if the shadow beasts were once normal, tall Twilli?

"If you think too much, your brain will leak from your ears," Midna callously commented and gripped the fur fluffing on his back. "They are my people," she confirmed and the sacred wolf shuddered, "but these are beyond saving, Zant twisted their desires into the evil wrapping their hearts, the only deliverance we can give them is a swift death." The shadow beasts lumbered to their feet with a paralyzing screech and dove for them. "I pray they find solace after the ordeal they went through." Midna's glowing hair strung them together and smashed them on the floor and walls. Blood did not leak from their mangled bodies; their forms broke into small squares and drifted to the bizarre sky of Twilight.

The sword weaved through the holographic image of Zant. Directing all of his anger and hatred at the flickering phantom, Link heaved for air and cut across, his strikes heavy and imprecise. The air choked him, his vision blurred. He vaguely registered the floor lighting with uniform Twilight emblems and clawshot targets winking in the pale light washing over Midna's face. She did not smirk amusedly any longer, each new group of shadow beasts sapped her strength and Link did not look at her for guidance any longer.

Her anger mounted into a sorrow and wrath so potent, it prickled his skin. He tried to stay upright so Midna could cling for him to support.

When she finally did, pointy fingers digging into his shoulders, he wanted her to stay far, far away from him.

This will not last. One day she will go back to governing her realm, sitting on a throne with a new aide by her side; and him?

Will she remember him? The sniveling boy who helped her regain the kingdom despite every cell in his body screaming in fear?

"Link," her hand brushed across his cheek and he smiled to reassure her, "I'm sorry for being so selfish."

Don't apologize. He screeched internally. Midna and 'sorry' did not go together.

"I apologize for putting you through all this." A Sol dropped into the next indent and with both places filled, the light ripened into a soothing golden. Golden like Twilight. "I-" Midna swallowed when Link whirled around, the Light Sword gleaming ominously in his hand.

His ice-blue eyes speared into her like daggers. "Stop apologizing," he intoned lowly, "I was meant to do this from the start...stop whining, you sound pathetic!" She flinched. "...Act like you usually do," his mien softened, "the Midna I know pulled me by my earring when she was dissatisfied. When you change..."

It scares me, the words hung unsaid between them.

"Hoh? The doggy likes punishment." Midna crowed and folded her arms on his shoulder. "Your snazzy new Light Sword will be able to cut through the Twilight Fog." he swiped the blade across and she quickly drew out of the way. "Careful, it's extremely powerful, if it grazes me even by a little," she raised her wrist dramatically to her forehead, "you will have to kiss your precious princess goodbye."

Cheeks reddening, Link slashed the waterfall of shadow, it parted like mist under the rays of a noonday sun. He squared his shoulders, after he restored all the Sols. Twilight will be wholesome and beautiful again.

He smiled; he looked forward to see Midna on a throne.

* * *

Smoky grey tiles created a mosaic on a raised platform. Spherical crystal switches, like oversized pearls, ringed the dais and when Link performed a spin attack, the middle of the floor detached and elevated him to a series of mid-air platforms. Hands clenched in concentration, he hopped from one ledge to the other, blue veins glowed brightly under his boots. A wall of Twilight spewed flocks of shadow creatures and big key heavy in his pocket, he slashed through them all.

Arriving at a door emblazoned with Twilli runes and a heavy padlock, Link paused. He remembered his first encounter with a dungeon boss, the nefarious Diababa. He lost consciousness in there when the carnivorous plant/animal thing opened its mouth to reveal a tongue -gross- and spines of razor sharp teeth. Plants shouldn't have teeth, he sagely concluded. The runes on the door seemed to feed of his insecurities, they blazed in the dim room and the knot in his stomach intensified. Fishing the key, he grabbed the padlock and attempted to slot them together as Midna phased into view.

"Wait," she said. "This energy is familiar," Midna wracked her memories, "I felt it at the Forest Temple." A presence carried them out of the Forest Temple and the same feeling surfaced when Link clobbered Fyrus in the decaying Goron Mines, a different version of the energy solidified into Zant at Arbiter's grounds. "An enemy," she classified, "another obstacle to overcome." The imp opened her hand. "Give me the key, I want to unlock the door."

Handing the key over and wiping his sweaty palms, Link pressed his hands together and prayed. He wanted to go home; he hoped Aryll and Grandma were okay. He wished for the other Link to rescue Aryll and keep her safe. Murmuring under his breath, he opened his eyes when the chains to the door fell away and it slid apart, raining dust.

Human and Twilli petrified on entering the room.

Tasseled sleeves covering his hands, Zant stood there. Shock warped Midna's features, her mouth hung open and when it wore off, her eyes bulged. Rage. She floated lazily to the floor and tossed her head back.

"Zant," she sneered and the word echoed in the room.

_Zant_.

"You don't die easily do you?" No response from the individual. "But it is ironic isn't it?" Midna's lips curved into a savage smile. "You thought you could've gotten rid of Link...of us." Her iris narrowed venomously. "But here we are, all thanks to the shadow crystal you embedded in Link's forehead. Did you know? He is the Sacred Wolf our prophetic texts speak of. The one who will save Twilight."

The masked man moved, bulbous stone eyes resting on Link. He bared his teeth. Zant remained hidden while Link was exposed to scrutiny.

After an eternity of silence, Zant reached up, bell sleeves sliding back to expose marble white forearms and he removed his helmet. Link expected a deformed, lumpy face; why else would Zant wear the abomination of a helmet? However...

"Princess Midna," he spoke. A cyan rune glittered on his forehead and aquiline nose. "We are the tribe of Twilight, a race who mastered the art of magic." His shock of tangerine hair hung asymmetrical, shaved on one side and curtaining half his face on the other. "We are like insects in a cage." Ruby eyes shifted from one to the other and he smiled the same sly smile the hero associated with Midna. "The royal family is to blame for not revolting against the denizens of light. For eons we suffered shame and came to accept this miserable half existence." Thin lips twisted in anger. "I was angry," his hypnotic voice filled the hall and Link lowered his sword, Zant's words made a lot of sense, "and ambitious, I will admit." He grinned at the scowling Midna. "I wanted to rule Twilight, but when you were crowned princess, I was fascinated by you. I thought you would deliver us from the oppression we faced and so I worked myself into your good graces."

Helmet tucked under his arm, Zant paced. Grimacing at his shoes, Link followed him, eyes swinging like a pendulum.

"Instead, you wilted for them. The Princess of Hyrule...Zelda was it? Has you wrapped around her little finger." Zant threw his helmet and it crashed unnaturally loudly. He whisked around, his robes flaring, his composure cracking. "I hated it when you visited her; she tamed you like one tames a dog!" Cuts appeared on the corners of his lips, he grinded his teeth in frustration. "I advised you to stop consorting with the denizens of light, but did you listen to me? Of course not!" Zant screamed and Link took a step back, the previously handsome visage peeled off the raving advisor. "You continued listening to Zelda, to her outlandish theories, you blamed _our_ ancestors for practicing magic and becoming greedy. You sought a hero to save Twilight...save it from what exactly? Tell me Midna, I'm waiting," his voice dipped to a velvety whisper.

Refusing to budge an inch when Zant cast a long shadow over her, Midna floated to his level. Once upon a time, she mooned over his face and enigmatic smiles. Ages ago, he burned with a desire to make Twilight a great and independent nation.

Hatred reduced him into a shell alive with the promise of vengeance.

"We had a premonition," she began, acutely aware of Link when she gently wound Zant's hair in her fingers, "there would be a great evil and the Sacred Wolf would save us from it." Midna tugged viciously and tore Zant's hair from his scalp, he did not flinch. "You are a fool, you are weak," she smirked, "you disgust me."

Jerking backwards, Zant tumbled over his shoes and fell backwards on the floor. He gasped and laughed, feet kicking the tiles childishly.

"You say Zelda has me in her snares? Hmph!" Midna hissed. "What about you and the God you rave so lovingly about?" On the floor, Zant stilled and raised his head. His face resonated with an alien quality. "You think of yourself as a prophet, coming to deliver peace. Your 'God' is a Triforce Bearer of Power who used using you as a vessel. You are gone...a long time ago. My words won't reach you anymore."

Rocketing to his heels, Zant shrieked, "Shut up! How dare you slander my God. He provided me with power, he paved a road for me when I fell into despair!" The chamber shifted, trees and green leaves pushed from the ground. The scent of pine and falling leaves tickled Link's nose. "He showed me the absoluteness of darkness...what will an unbeliever such as _you_ know?"

"I know you are raving mad. You betrayed my trust. I do not take to such betrayal easily." Midna checked her nails. "You will be executed for treason and I will enjoy every moment of it." She nodded to Link. "Kill him."

Startled by the sheer emotionless in her voice, the hero moved to Zant. The corrupted Twilli giggled a high pitched laugh and teleported amongst the trees. When Link tried to cut through the images, he blinked when a sturdy pine tree trunk stopped the momentum of the sword. Dislodging it with a grunt, he ducked when a toxic ball flew from Zant's sleeve and smashed into the tree.

The tree melted.

Purple _is_ evil, Link concluded and jumped, his sword sliced the inside of Zant's sleeve, revealing a thin, bony arm.

The trees in the hall sunk into a bubbling ground. Rock faces closed them from all sides, the fire glow of lava shone on earthen walls and sweat patches bloomed on Link's tunic. Magma bubbled underneath and he swung unsteadily on a circlet of magnet ore.

The iron boots!

Putting them one, he swayed nauseatingly. Zant's maniacal laughter echoed in Link's ears and Midna offered no help. A projectile clipped across the side of his face and Zant bounced again.

Running out breath, the Twilli hunched and breathed heavily, saliva poured out of his mouth, he looked up when Link descended, sword aimed to cleave his head in half.

A headache shot through his head.

The surrounds changed into water and gasping for breath, Link quickly stripped, becoming self-conscious when he reached for his pants. Uncaring if Midna saw him, he wrestled with the flapping Zora tunic and inhaled sweet oxygen. Zant created a whirlpool and the currents dragged him in. Link bashed his head against the boulder. Stars exploded in his eyes.

A silver chain wrapped around Zant, he tilted his head at his bound hands and pulled. Flying out of the gloom, the human smashed into him and they both sunk to the seafloor, grappling with each other. Sand rose from the bottom, clouding the water into sepia. His illusionary emblem flickered in and out like a bad dream. Dismantling it, he swung his hand and the sacred wolf arced across the air and plowed into the floor. A bone, or several, crackled like brittle glass and Zant grinned when Midna rushed to the human writhing in pain on the floor. She soothed the man and turned her acrimonious gaze at him.

"Rest," she told the so called savior of Twilight, "I will deal with Zant."

"No," Link got to his feet, wincing at the pain wrapping his muscles, "I don't need help to get rid of him. I got this." He lunged smoothly and Zant dodged. The hero rolled back, dropping into a sure fighting stance and the Hylian shield covered the bottom half of his chin.

Tearing off his dangling sleeve, Zant dodged three blows to his heart. The Light Sword shredded the front of his robe and he pulled it off, revealing a network of runes cascading all over his body. A fervor cloaked the human, he did not pause to consider his actions, instead, his sword struck for vital areas. The tip of cold, holy metal swept across Zant's chest and he screamed in pain when blood welled in crimson pearls along the incised line.

The hero smiled and the Twilli found nothing virtuous in the mocking curve of his lips.

Spinning, Zant herded Link backwards, but the relentless whirls did not deter Link. He fell, got up, and attacked with pointed concentration.

A hungry wolf sunk its jaws in prey; and it did not let go.

Collapsing in a throne-esque chair, Zant looked at the multitude of cuts crisscrossing his body. None fatal. Blood stained his skin pink, the room tossed, turned and whisked and he wanted it to stop.

Blood choked his throat, it poured from his nose. Through the film of pink obscuring his eyes, he bore witness as Link scored another deep cut on his thigh. The Light sword created a searing path from his abdomen and he wheezed when it burned a hole under his ribs.

The hero recoiled and Zant giggled. Why was the human scared?

Darkness clawed the edge of his vision and he cupped a hand to the gaping wound. Ruby liquid pooled in his hand and he registered Midna floating above him.

He craned his neck. "Laugh Midna," he rasped as blood trickled through his fingers. He wanted to touch her. "Laugh...it will make me feel better."

* * *

**A/N:** Zant in the game was a maniac puppet, serving as a underboss before the final reveal of Ganondorf. He had so much potential than to be a simple, raving, weird dude but alas, the creators covered him from head to toe and gave him a matching pair of stylized crocs to go along with it. 2/10 WW Link does _not_ approve.

Please read and review, constructive criticism and remarks are highly appreciated. Here's to everyone in despair who hopefully did not turn out like our resident fashion disaster dude.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**Gem and bone**

Twilight shimmered outside the palace's casement windows and the translucent barrier offered a glimpse of Castle Town through the ever shifting shadows playing on its surface. Helmed castle guards stood stiffly on either side of the gate; their spears glinting under the rays of a mid-morning sun. Clouds drifted lazily, an illusion of a normal day.

Alabaster fragments littered the throne room. Goddess Din missed an arm, Goddess Nayru did not have a head and Farore's midsection lay as rubble at her feet.

Chains rubbed Zelda's wrists raw; she rotated her arms to keep a creeping numbness at bay. On the throne sat Ganondorf, face in an impatient snarl. She blinked slowly when the Gerudo prince got up and her eyes tracked his movements as he paced the room, boots hammering on the tiles. The Warlock Blade gleamed pearl white in its sheath and not knowing why, Zelda stared.

Anger mounting at another failure, Ganondorf grabbed an ornament, a porcelain vase, and hurled it. The vase smashed with the gilded throne and shards exploded everywhere. He waited for Zelda to tense in her seat, but she passively turned her attention to him. Dark veins ran across her face and stalking towards her, he grabbed her chin and examined her.

"You are angry," she noted sluggishly, "one of your plans have failed." The words bled emotionlessly.

Smirking, he let her chin drop. "Quiet, puppet," Ganondorf growled. "Nothing has failed, the Triforce of Courage _will_ be mine, as Wisdom is already is." The triangle at the back of Zelda's hand winked feebly and in response, the lines on her face flashed. She gasped. "You can't resist this power," Ganondorf bent low and whispered, "it is the magic the Royal family of Hyrule is so afraid of. Writhe in pain, feel the hatred of the generations of people you have enslaved."

* * *

"We must save Zelda." Midna did not stop to witness Twilight changing into the realm she loved. Once Zant collapsed at her feet, the edges of his alien face smoothing into a familiar, handsome one, she turned her back on his cooling corpse and sailed to the portal leading to Hyrule. "Ganondorf will be in Hyrule Castle," the Twilli announced and warped to the edges of Castle Town.

Following at her heels, Link recalled the poisonous hatred she harbored for her wayward advisor. The imp declared she will laugh when he finally died and she killed him once...no, not really him, an image of Zant; with her own two hands. As Zant slid off the throne, she stood above him, his blood lapping at her little feet. She waited patiently for a while, staring at his dead body and swept his marigold hair to the side of his face. Delicate fingers traced the rune on his forehead and Link swore he imagined the glint of a tear in his eye.

He did not imagine it.

But when Midna turned to him, daring him to question her vulnerability, he merely bowed and left the room.

From the outskirts of Castle Town, the pyramid loomed large and impregnable. Racing across the withered grass, the sacred wolf bolted down the streets without stopping. Ladies with voluminous skirts and elegant hairstyles, shrieked in horror when he streaked past them. Guards poured from street corners like ants and baring his teeth at them, Link wormed his way to the high stone walls bordering Hyrule Castle. He briefly wondered how the resistance members fared; did they dig a tunnel and go underground? Or did Shad finally find a way to bypass the barrier?

Two spears thwacked on the cobblestone in front of him and howling in fright, Link backed away. A pair of Castle guards barred his way and he barked at them. Unfortunately, they did not quiver like their street-guard counterparts, nor did their aim falter. One herded the wolf away from the castle and the other crossed to the gate post. Ears flat, Link slunk backwards, irises narrowing for a potential slip, however, the guard thrust his spear in the wolf's face, cutting his cheek.

"It's got an earring..." while Link paused to lick the blood trickling in his mouth, the guard spoke. "Do wild wolves wear earrings?" he asked his companion, keeping the spear pointed directly at the wolf's wet nose.

The other sentinel shifted slightly. "Keep it away from the castle no matter what. We don't know what's covering it," he motioned to the Twilight Pyramid, "but it's ominous, it could kill the creature."

Letting the weapon drop, the castle guard pulled off his helmet to reveal a ruddy faced hylian with close cropped hair, he crouched, one hand snapping expertly around Link's muzzle and the other pinching his ear. "Do you remember the Triforce brat?" he queried, bright blue eyes searching the wolf, "the Captain's son?" Metal lined boots shuffled on stone. "I heard he had a prophecy to fulfill…" the guard trailed off thoughtfully.

The man at the gate stiffened for a second before forcefully marching forward. He undid his helmet and brushed long, silver hair away from rounded ears. A human like Rusl. "You might be right," the man bent closer, "he's wearing the Captain's earrings," the wolf's ear's flicked, "but why is he wearing a manacle?" Breaking off, he grabbed Link's paws and the wolf snarled.

"What are you doing? Who knows what the wolf stepped through?" the first guard commented, nose wrinkling in mild disgust.

"He's got the Triforce, let him in."

The two guards dutifully stepped away from Link and he gingerly crawled inside with their gazes firmly fixed on his back. Letting out a breath he did not know he held, he trekked through the gardens, springy, fragrant grass a welcome relief from the windswept dry fields. Rose hedges bristled with thorns and sweet smelling buds. Vivid violets peeked from beds of dark green foliage and sandstone steps led to a raised platform edged by boxes of daisies and other blossoms Link could not name.

He lingered at the perfect picnic spot.

Peeling off his shadow when Link neared the Twilight pyramid, Midna assessed its strength. Zant's demise did absolutely nothing to decrease the barrier's strength so it must be maintained by a fragment of Ganondorf's power. She pressed her palm against it and her hand stung like acid. Only ancient magic could match the magnitude of the barrier and she called on the pieces she forced Link to hunt down. The voyages in the temples gradually sucked the innocent twinkle in his eyes and now the human stood next to her, expression unnaturally solemn. Midna floated higher in the air, searching for weak spots in the structure, the hovering fused shadows encircled her body, both drawn and repulsed. Finding no errors, she huffed and lowered to the hero's level.

"Hold my hand," she commanded.

The human gawped. "Why?"

"I need an anchor to pull me back when I'm using the fused shadows," Midna explained. "There is no other way to crack the barrier, the shadows will consume my mind and sap my living energy, but it is a small price to pay for rescuing Zelda." A piece of the rotating shadow smacked on her body, fitting neatly with the cracked edge of her headpiece and she grinned manically. Familiar Twilli magic flooded in her veins and she shuddered, euphoric. "Whatever you do," Midna warned, "do not let go of my hand, light magic acts as a dampener." The explanation flew over Link's head and he nodded vacuously, repulsed by the way the fused shadow slammed on the imp. "It will prevent me from losing my mind entirely." Her voice turned grave. "Whatever happens," she repeated urgently as the pieces covered her like arcane armor, "do not let go!"

Her words rung like a death knell and Link squeezed her limp hand.

For the first few seconds, golden orange ribbons of energy seamed the armor together; the Twilight Pyramid shone brighter, the shadows on its surface scampered away. Link gasped when Midna rocketed forward, she pulled him along like a flimsy kite and he dug his heels in the ground, kicking dirt. His hand burned like a shark clamped on it and he grabbed his wrist with a free hand and squeezed it tightly to stop the feeling from spreading to his shoulder.

Midna cackled, the shadows on her body vibrated with an eerie thrum. She exploded against the barrier, her grating laughter echoing to the sky. The pyramid sparked, shoving both human and Twilli to the ground and she relentlessly dragged Link and bashed herself against the pyramid.

It shattered with a thunderous crack. Golden shards striped with dark bands rained from the sky.

"Whew!" The Twilight Princess pried the shadows off her body and slumped to the ground. "I am tired," she announced and yawned exaggeratedly, melting into Link's shadow. "I will be resting till we find Zelda," she turned the pieces in her hand, "don't die before then."

Shaking his dead arm to entice feeling back into it, Link swallowed a thousand grumbles cropping on his tongue. The Princess of Hyrule was imprisoned somewhere in this maze of a castle and Midna used an enormous amount of power to get them in. Bow in hand, he selected a direction at random, west, and entered a small courtyard, reeling at the dozen monsters hissing and snapping. A bokoblin clobbered its nail studded club against ivory walls, pitting the smooth surface. Shadow kargaroc nested in tall pine trees.

A chain dangled within easy reach and tempted, Link pulled it, tensing for an admonishing scream from Midna, none came and a metal grill gate lifted. Eyes roving for threats, he stepped in another circular courtyard lined with mossy walls and frowned, how did anyone navigate in here? All the areas appeared the same. A graveyard silence blanketed the area, no birds chirped on gnarled tree branches and mist seeped from goddess knew where. Looking up to an iron grey sky, Link squinted at a black shape descending from above.

The thing landed, a mini earthquake rippled across the floor.

King Bulblin eyed the human. It puzzled him; a creature so small and fragile clashed with him a few times and lived to tell the tale. Something in the human changed, its eyes took a fierce gleam and lowering his battle axe, crusted with blood of slain enemies, King Bulblin gritted his teeth. "I've come to play," he announced gutturally.

"You…you can _speak?_" the adolescent echoed faintly, his arm hung like an unwanted weight. "How come you never talked before?"

His answer came as a weapon screaming for blood. Ducking, Link lost balance and collided with the ground, slithering away when the axe landed between his legs. The ball and chain flew out of thin air, battering into King Bulblin's face; it retracted with a bloody squelch.

The monster merely wiped its face, bleeding with a dozen punctures. It swiped its axe and it cut Link's tunic at the stomach.

Touching the protective chainmail and glad he never complained about it, Link dropped into a back-slice. The ground shuddered as King Bulblin attempted to move out of the way. Too late. The Master Sword slid into tough flesh and gripping the pommel, Link cut a jagged wound in the monster's back.

King Bulblin screamed in agony. Several meters away, a flock of birds took flight. The monster dropped to its knees, the axe fell from its grasp and breathing heavily, Link circled it, waiting for it to lunge and grab him by the throat.

Instead, the olive skinned monster produced a shiny key and whistled for its mount, Lord Bulbo. Docile, the pig-creature lumbered in the clearing and King Bulblin mounted it. "Enough," it rasped, "I only follow the strongest side." Its muddy eyes gazed at the foggy horizon, "...that is all I've ever known."

Lord Bulbo charged away, leaving dust to mingle with the mist.

"Link..." Midna phased into view, a simple, ebony outline, "it...the thing spoke..." she stared at the retreating monsters.

"Yeah whatever," he responded distractedly and picked the key, "the Bulblin left this," he showed the key, "it must be important."

* * *

Why the map of Hyrule Castle lay in a velvet blue treasure chest tucked in a corner of a dilapidated courtyard crawling with monsters is a question only the goddess' could answer. The map made little sense to Link and when he asked help from Midna, he received no response. Rotating the sheet of yellowed paper, the hero eventually tucked it into his backpack and sniffed the air for clues. The morning mist thickened as afternoon wore on, coagulating to a cloud of dirty white. It distorted sounds, smells and sights. The loamy fragrance of earth clogged Link's nostrils, masking the undertones of distorted magic and prowling monsters.

Crude monster towers leaned against embossed marble pillars. Bokoblin constructed huts and watchtowers, remains of fire pits burned embers in the center of outdoor gardens crawling with dead ivy. Slashing through the tendrils, Link stopped a troop of purple bokoblin chanting for his head and butchered them, his sword tearing effortlessly through hide and bone.

Strange...his arm did not ache anymore.

He wiped a spot of blood off his tunic and sighed resignedly when it refused to come off. Sweat caked his hair to his forehead, dirt ringed his nails. Link experimentally sniffed himself and gagged.

"Eww..." he moaned, "I stink like I haven't bathed for a month!"

"You will have all the time to bathe after we vanquish Ganondorf," Midna reminded him unnecessarily, "we have to hurry."

"Aren't I supposed to be presentable when I meet the Princess?" he retorted and tasted the air, the scent of death lingered beyond a tall wall embossed with geometric patterns. Pawing the soil with his boot, Link found a patch of soft soil to dig through. "The knights in the fairytales I read to Aryll were all good looking and clean," stains of unidentified substances saturated Link's tunic, "I look like a hobo..."

"I'm sure she won't mind, besides, I'll be there to distract her," the Twilli added suggestively and Link clawed the ground, tunneling through the soil and emerging as a wolf in a graveyard.

He blanched at the rows of tombstones sitting undisturbed upon the earth; the imaginary teeth of a giant, fathomless monster. The world changed into a high resolution tint of green and greyscale, the sacred wolf traced scars in wooden fence posts, miniscule ants scurried in a tree trunk weeping sap and icy blue irises turned to the largest threat in the room; a bunch of skeletons waving swords and wearing helmets. What's the use of a helmet on a bony skull?

"Stop admiring them and attack!" Midna piped, "We don't have the entire day."

The stalkins lunged with surprising speed and a sword tip dug in Link's front paw, he barked angrily and pulled the skeleton's forearm, it came apart in his jaws. The undead warriors rattled with each step and wind skimmed over the pine needles carpeting the ground. He spat the last bone shard out of his mouth and stalked to the walls, searching for switches or traps.

Human Link placed a bomb near the rocks, he puffed in pride when the blasted chunks revealed a switch and turned to show his results to Midna. Blushing in embarrassment, he stepped on the switch and a nearby gate whirred open.

The entrance to Hyrule Castle loomed large and unforgivable; Link's legs suddenly lost strength and he wondered how he possibly survived time and time again against such grueling odds. While he goggled at the impossibly large castle, it looked _bigger _than Outset Island; Midna rifled through his sack and commented on its contents.

"There is too little oil in your lantern," she lectured, "find some yellow chuchu gel and fill it up." She sounded like Orca. "Your clawshots are jammed with dried blood and dirt; don't you clean your weapons?" Two bottles rattled in the cloth bag and she picked them up, lips twisting in disbelief. "You only have half a potion?" she asked and dangled the bottle, red liquid sloshed in the glass, "are you serious?" Midna renewed her dig through his backpack and came up with an ampule containing a fairy. "At least have the brains to make another bottle! What are you going to do when you are almost dying?"

Squatting on the ground and sorting through the things she tossed, Link found a sandwich and his mood lifted. "You are always there to save me," he garbled through a mouthful of bread, butter and cheese, "and besides, you have your own store of potions, bandages and food, why I do need to lug around a bag? I have enough weapons weighing on my back."

"Idiot!" she hissed, her voice uncharacteristically venomous. "There is no guarantee I will be able to save you." Link stopped chewing, Midna not being there sounded ridiculous; she stalked him since day one. "There might come a time when we are forced to go our separate ways-"

"That won't happen," Link declared, finality stiffening his voice. "I won't let it happen," he crammed the sandwich in his mouth and dusted the crumbs from his lap. "And even if I'm in a near death situation," he recalled shivering like a leaf on the slippery slopes of a crashing waterfall, "the Triforce will bring me back."

Repacking the back furiously, Midna hurled the clawshot inside and the metal head stuck the ampule, releasing the fairy. It glided into the obscure environment, speeding away from the Castle they were about to enter. "The day you grow up, is the day you realize the world is a cruel, unpredictable place."

"You don't have to worry about that." Link scratched his chin, irritated. "I already know the world is cruel and unpredictable," his boot steps echoed like crashing boulders in the empty castle vestibule, "and you need me." Twilight barriers hemmed human and Twilli in a circular space, "You won't abandon me as long as you need me."

Bokoblins swarmed endlessly into the area, a tidal wave of purple, steaming bodies and glinting hatchets. A spin attack sent their heads rolling across the ground and blood painted the intricately engraved tiles. Link did not think, the pull of the gathered Triforce tugged obstinately in his chest. Detachedly, he watched the Light Sword in his hand spin through the air, along with a gout of blood pouring at his feet. Thinking hurt his brain.

Thinking brought the possibility that he might fall to Ganondorf's blade.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Carving constellations**

A piece of golden triangle glimmered in his palms. Sleep lay thickly on his eyelids and yet, he refused to lie down, instead, Link crossed and re-crossed the Great Sea, collecting the Triforce of Courage shards in a frenzied trance. He took occasional naps when the sword slid from his grasp during training. Resting his head on top of the boat's figurehead and arms encircling the dragon's neck, he snored lightly. At times he jerked awake and scanned the surroundings for the monsters in his nightmares to materialize under the sun.

"My boy, you have done it," Daphnes praised warmly and Link smiled, "you have collected the Triforce of Courage." The shards fused together in a single, solid triangle and winked under the evening sun. "I am proud of you," the King of Red Lions declared. A long time ago, he said the same words to his wise young daughter. Perhaps he said the same to his rosy cheeked son. Daphnes did not remember.

An inexplicable sadness passed through the child's inkwell eyes and he lowered his face.

"Thank you," he whispered and raised the Triforce. A triumphant grin crawled on his face and his gaze speared the sky, daring. "Do they see me?" he asked, "the goddesses? Do they approve of me to be the bearer of the Triforce of Courage?" The triangle glowed brighter and he shielded his eyes from the supernova brilliance. It flared like the sun and vanished. Blinking at the emptiness in his fingers, Link searched the back of his left hand and his face lit up at the Triforce marking. "Look!" he excitedly chirped, "I have it, it's seared on my skin!"

Chuckling at the childish expression of glee, the King of Red Lions nodded. "Of course, you have proved yourself time and time again." Link grabbed the WindWaker, stance prepared for the Ballad of Gales. "But first, you have to get some rest," the boat insisted. "You are tired, you cannot hope to continue without sleep and meager food; your body will give up."

The hero distastefully poked his belly and nodded offhandedly before retreating to the deckhouse. The door shut quietly and alone Daphnes rocked on the waves.

"All hail the Hero of Winds," he saluted under his breath.

Dawn barely broke the surface when Link clattered on deck. At the stern, he checked his crates and boxes, sifting through potions, food and arrows. The sun inched higher; painting a rectangle on his small back and the boy organized the contents of his backpack.

Grandma's elixir soup, red and blue potions, and pitchers of magic clamored for space against his weapons; the hookshot and grappling hook tangled together, the Deku leaf crumpled under their weight. After much deliberation with blonde eyebrows narrowed, Link discarded the grappling hook. He polished his mirror shield as the boat sailed to the location of the Tower of Gods and dusted the intricate metal work on his hammer. Laying the weapons on the deck, he pulled the Master Sword towards him, hunted for the whetstone and purely out of habit, sharpened it.

A favorable south eastern gale ushered the boat on white flecked waves. Seagulls rushed alongside and leaning over the rails, Link held a pear in his hand, the birds fought over the sour fruit and dove at once, snatching it out of his palm and peeling away. Sharks cruised for a few leagues and abruptly changed course, their triangular fins slicing through the water.

By dusk, the tangerine portal leading to the sunken continent of Hyrule flared like a halo of fire. Prying his gaze off the newly acquired Triforce of Courage, Link paddled the boat into the portal and the edges widened to accommodate them.

Daphnes sunk and Link stood in the bow, telescope glued to the eye for any new developments. The waters swirled, murky and foreboding. A few meters in and the watery environs changed into an oily, tar black. Schools of fish flitted through a forest of kelp, their silver bodies flashing like thin knives. The turrets of Hyrule Castle crawled into view, maybe too quickly; Link thought and squinted to get a better look. His Triforce pulsed in acknowledgement, somewhere in the labyrinthine palace, Ganondorf held Zelda hostage.

However, Link smirked; the pirate Princess would not bow easily, at the very least, she will go kicking and cursing into confinement and hopefully, give the Gerudo an almighty headache.

Wrought iron gates swung open on soundless hinges, boat and passenger docked at a flight of stone steps and Link hopped out, tightening the leather straps fastening the hammer to his back. He turned. "Will I see you in there?" he asked and pointed to the castle.

"Who knows my boy?" Daphnes cryptically replied. "By all rights, I should not exist."

"Don't say that!" Link hissed and the King of Red Lions blinked, taken aback by his anger. "...I'm going in, wait for me," the boy instructed. "I'll take pictures of the castle," he mumbled, "to show Aryll and Grandma and you. You can compare them to the Old Castle and tell me how it changed." Nodding self-confidently, Link waved and climbed the stairs. "I'll return as soon as possible with Zelda, she'll probably complain about how I failed to save her, but it'll be lively to have her back."

Daphnes acknowledged him with an indulgent grin and the palace swallowed the little boy whole.

Color bled into the castle vestibule, ominous orange and flickering fire. Crashing to a stop, all thoughts of snapping pictographs fled from Link's mind as he ogled in mute horror at the broken Hero's bust.

Choking back a pained sob, he limped to the disfigured statue. A stone arm lay on the floor, the alabaster hero missed an eye and its nose was broken! Staring at it with his mouth open, Link glanced at the stairs leading to the basement.

Who did this?

Who had the audacity to vandalize such a work of art?

He'll deal with them, personally.

Charging down the steps, he jumped back on meeting Zelda at the Master Sword pedestal. She waited patiently, her face strangely blank. Eyes roving for threats, Link held his ground, Tetra did not speak, an uncommon behavior; and behind her the stone knights gleamed eerily lifelike.

Taking a step forward, Link unsheathed his sword when Zelda disappeared. A ring of flames raced around the circular chamber and one of the stained windows cracked. A thick line marred sage Zelda's regal face. The floor juddered under the combined weight of two heavily armored darknuts dropping from...somewhere...and the monsters prowled the small human in the center of the clearing.

Predator glared by prey.

One swung its sword and Link swiftly stepped inside the sword's arc, his blade sawed the armor locks and before the Darknut registered surprise, it lay dead, bleeding from a stab to the throat.

The second monster pawed the cobblestone floor, hoof throwing sparks and lunged. Link deflected the initial stab with the shield and when the Darknut reeled backwards to get its bearings, he grabbed its cape, throwing it off balance. The Master Sword plunged into an unarmored chest and Link exhaled slowly; the iron reek of blood perfused the chamber.

Bowing to the sages preserved in glass, he traced a path to the back of the castle. The Triforce flashed gold, mapping the way.

A clear barrier of mauve energy slammed across the bridge leading to Ganon's Tower and without pausing in stride, Link slashed and continued seamlessly. An arch gate of ash granite, pitifully undecorated, blurred above and the once lush lawn of the rear courtyard sprawled before him. Tall elms clustered on the outskirts and in the middle, a willow tree hunched, its leaves brushing over a myriad of deep red tulips. The ivory stone staircase broke abruptly, revealing a yawning gap between and triggering the hookshot, Link flew over the chasm, stomach briefly dropping at the darkness below. He landed forcefully, massaged his throbbing toe and stalked into the Tower enclosure. He barged through a door engraved with a boar motif and skidded into the vestibule, panting heavily.

What the hell was this? His sword arm lowered, momentarily stunned by the inside of the Tower.

Lava flowed freely, _where did it come from?_ Spiked vines, parasites, his mind supplied; crawled over doors and titan water jars perched in seemingly impossible rocky outcrops. A river of lava with a steaming platform at the end, snaked underneath four bridges leading to four different rooms. Irritably swinging at a bubble toying with his cap, Link sucked in a lung blistering breath and set off determinedly to the only passable bridge.

The walls sizzled his skin when he accidentally brushed against it, a red rash cropped immediately and wept bloody water, pouring a potion over it, Link neatly folded the Deku Leaf back in his bag, behind him, lava welled into large bubbles and popped, speckling the bricks with molten rock. Regretting the loss of his grappling hook, Link entered a black and white door, appearing out of place with the rest of the tower.

Gohma screamed in his face, a greyscale replica of the parasite thrashed in a silver pool of faux lava and clawed for the young hero. When it reared to the air, Link speared its single eye with the hookshot, disappointed at the lack of a challenge. The eyeball detached from the socket with a wet lurch and examining the dripping organ, Link tossed it away when he lost interest.

Boring, he breathed when the image of Gohma illuminated the gate.

* * *

When the faded motif of Molgera blazed to life on the door, Link tensed, his body became numb and the area, wood-beam ledges and mini cyclones, melted and reformed into the central clearing. Swiping the air cautiously, the hero noted the lack of a sealed door and marched fearlessly through. A tribe of miniblins accosted him on the way and they met a gruesome end; thick red lines oozing sluggishly from their throats.

A maze of corridors spanned in different directions and scrutinizing the doors thoroughly, Link entered one at random, a pattern of candles pooled soft light in a darkened room with a stage dropping off to nowhere. Noting the number of candles, he retraced his steps to the chamber on the right and a similar room greeted him. Crystal switches emitted a faint, pearl light and holding his boomerang, he let it rip through the room, striking the switches. They lit up simultaneously and a firelight portal to the surface opened.

Link titled his head at the portal and snorted, leaving was not an option.

Returning to the room with the candles, he searched for a bridge of light or an invisible platform to lower him into the dark. Nothing. Warily, he let his foot hang in the darkness and crouched to his knees, groping the open space for abnormal situations. The long fall to a certain death did not appeal to him and he prowled to a small stone pillar at one end and kicked it, no response. Link examined the candles, climbed the relief walls to fiddle with the lamps and swallowed a scream when a fixture detached from the ancient wall and he fell, landing awkwardly on his feet. He paced thoughtfully, entertained notions of contacting the King of Red Lions, decided against it and stuffed the stone in his pocket. Hitching the bag of supplies comfortably on his overladen back, he glared into the darkness and jumped.

Damp air filled his nostrils, terror ripped through his heart.

He was going to die. He jumped in an unknown chasm like a brain dead fool.

A gust cushioned his landing and a familiar anger weighed on his tongue. Discarding his backpack and letting it clank to the floor, Link whipped the Master Sword out, steadied by its familiar hilt and lunged for Phantom Ganon spinning mysteriously out of shadows.

The ghost flickered and spread into five copies. These apparitions semi-circled around Link and he dropped into a dodge roll to avoid simultaneous fire. The phantoms moved individually, one powered a ball of crackling lightning; the other hefted its rune covered sword. A third fired glowing beams and the circular chamber momentarily lit up, revealing tribal spirals etched on slate walls.

Seeking the phantom with the most presence, Link ducked when a ball of cyan soared over his head. A dark shape flitted in a corner and a magenta orb danced on the tip of its sword. The phantom flicked the energy ball and Link raised his blade to meet it.

The ball smashed into the blade and drove him back, hissing, Link flung it and sidestepped when a sword aimed for his head. Phantom Ganon pelted the ball in return and gasping when another ghost nicked a line on his shoulder, the boy hit the orb of pink making a beeline for him.

A risky game of hit the ball and avoid the other ghosts initiated. Swinging his shield when a clone phantom veered too close, Link's arm ached when the batted the orb with all his might. Lighting blasted next to him and his vision momentarily blanked, painted by dizzying stripes of color. Blind, he sliced on instinct, lips curving into a sardonic smile when the orb met the blade's edge and smashed into Phantom Ganon.

The apparition fell to one knee, paralyzed.

Weaving through the ghosts swirling for him, Link stabbed the phantom in its face and it screeched loud enough to wake the dead. The ghost disappeared, leaving its black sword glimmering on the ground and Link poked the weapon with his Master Sword, drawing closer when it did not detonate in his face. Leaving the sword laying on the ground, he grabbed his pack and went to the next set of corridors.

Cloying darkness pressed him on all sides. One tunnel lead to the next, to the next and to the next and fed up, Link tried marking the walls with the tip of his sword. He traced one such mark with a nail and inwardly moaned at the identical corridors branching into more identical corridors. No monsters charged out of the gloom to keep him company, nor did he hear any. Placing his ear to the uneven ground, he searched for vibrations and leaning against the rough wall, he slid into a heap on the floor.

"I'm lost," Link concluded to Daphnes and cupped the cyan stone in his palm. Sounds of gentle waves reached him and he imagined the fresh, salty air. "I'm in a maze spanning the middle of the tower, it's been ages since I've met anything out of the ordinary," his stomach growled, "I estimate about six hours. I fought Phantom Ganon and the books offer little about the Tower and the current holder of Triforce." He bit into an apple, savoring the juicy fruit. "The Triforce is not pulsing, I'm going in the wrong direction."

The boat listened patiently; the child never mentioned the possibility of going home and his professional calm unsettled the figurehead at times. "A labyrinth always has a clue or two pointing to the correct path, have you tried searching for them?" The boy munched and replied in affirmative. "Hmm...the room you fought Phantom Ganon in, did you find anything out of the ordinary?" Daphnes enquired.

Licking his lips, Link pulled to his feet. "The phantom split into five parts, they worked independently of each other," he stated. "The darkest one is usually the main body, when I defeated him, his sword..." The hero paused. "Of course!" he exclaimed, "I thought it was _odd_ for him to leave his sword behind, the rest of the ghost dematerialized but his sword fell at an awkward angle." In the dim tunnel, Link's pitch irises shone. "I'm going back in there to investigate-"

The Pirate's charm died abruptly.

Hacking through the consecutive Phantoms took slightly less effort than the first one. Memorizing their attack and converging patterns, Link twisted through the numerous energy balls honing his way and spin slashed the darkest Phantom. It left its sword, pointing to the next correct room in the maze.

As he stepped in yet another chamber, his eyes roved over the differences. Previously, crude paintings decorated the wall, here, the baked earth was stark naked, a hardness to their appearance. A red orb bloomed in the middle and leaked malevolent energy and without waiting, Link strung an arrow and pierced the orb, it let out an ear piercing shriek and imploded, bathing the chamber with light red smoke.

The smoke cleared to reveal a chest and the lid opened on oiled hinges.

Inside, nestled in swathes of midnight velvet, lay the light arrows, each projectile glowing like a miniature sun.

Wiping his hands on the tunic, Link reached for the fulgent arrows and pulled the velvet fabric out. It felt clandestine to simply drop them in his quiver and so he wrapped the blinding shafts and stored them in his bag, keeping one for immediate use.

Princess Zelda used arrows crafted from monster bone. Sitting on the eaves and nibbling on a peach stolen from the Castle kitchens, Link scaled his way to the inner courtyard and watched the Princess practice with an elegant bow. He surpassed her in swordsmanship, however, no matter if he practiced till his fingers bled, the Princess remained unmatched with the bow. In the silent yard, thick with the scent of jasmine flowers, Zelda stood at one end and focused intently on a wooden dummy on the other; Link admired the curve of her toned arms when she strung a bow, her hair, normally pinned in a loose braid, was piled high on top of her head, wisps of it clung to her sweaty forehead and ears. Teeth sinking into the peach, he stiffened when she let the arrow soar.

Crack!

It split the target dead center.

He observed, eyes bright in wonder when she smoothly nocked a second bow. It split the first arrow in half. Hanging forward eagerly, he studied her stance, her feet seemed one with the ground and her gaze speared into the target dummy like her arrows. She turned and Link flattened himself on the roof.

If anyone found him ogling the Princess while she wore no royal regalia, a dungeon will be a merciful option. Holding the fruit in his mouth, he painstakingly retreated to the outer courtyards and slipped into his quarters when none looked.

* * *

Phantom Ganon withered at the might of the light arrow and a single one dispatched him permanently. Unlike the first parts of the turret, where crude bricks formed the walls and large, unpolished tiles covered the floors, luxury swathed the latter part of Ganon's Tower, evoking the likeness of Hyrule Castle.

Smashing painted pottery pots, Link stormed up the wine red carpet stretching along the middle of the endless hallways. Pillars, bases leafed in gold, stood to attention on either side of the carpet and moblin sentinels, thick necks wreathed in skull necklaces, guarded the entrance to double height doors. No wholesome sunlight streamed through the long windows, the moon did not dare show its silver face in the corridors breeding evil.

A pair of cape wearing darknut held vigil before a door and marching to them, Link waited for the monsters to notice his puny presence. He chuckled at the thought. One helmeted warrior peeked from behind its upright sword and gawked at the skinny human perched defiantly on carpet. Its movement alerted the other one and with both their broad blades drawn for blood, they charged.

Link smiled. Let them come.

Let them _all_ come.

* * *

**A/N:** One more chapter to go before the story finishes. TP Link finally got the Triforce he so much covets and he's itching to clash with Ganondorf. While playing the game, I remember staring at the broken Hero's statue when I entered the Castle for the last time and thinking, what a shame. Poor Link, having his precious ancestor desecrated gave him the extra energy needed to slay his enemies!

Seriously, no feedback? Read and review people! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Devil's food cake to all the readers; hope everyone is eating some good food.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

**Divine messenger of Catastrophe**

Stone lanterns cast faint firelight over a door embossed in gold. Blood soaked a scarlet carpet.

Shadows prowled in corners; outside, lightning forked across a cloudless, night sky.

In the Tower reeking of warped desires, Link checked the back of his left hand; the Triforce of Courage winked steadily, encouraging him to enter the doors and embrace his destiny. Of all the possible children, _he_ is the one born and trained to shoulder the burden of Courage. Behind him lay two corpses, one monster's fur stood in stiff peaks, hardened by the blood he wiped off the Master Sword.

His entire life he trained for his moment, this crucial battle, however, the surge of importance accompanying the event did not stir his heart. Link knew he should be elated...

He simply wanted to go home. To live a peaceful life with Aryll and Grandma.

The child grinned ferally. He looked forward to a time when killing monsters would be a figment of his nightmares.

Opening the door marked by a golden boar, Link stalked inside and registered Ganondorf leaning over a slumbering Zelda. He gripped his sword tightly. Silk drapes fluttered to and fro, distorting the images of the Triforce Bearers and he craned his neck. Zelda's hair spilled like a sheet of gold over the bed's drapes and with two swords tucked at his waist, Ganondorf simply stared at her. On closer inspection, he sat on a stool and, Link blinked, the Gerudo's fingers hovered over the ivory keys of a piano.

Did power crazed individuals have the patience to learn piano?

A tune wafted in the air, sharp and lonely. A second one joined the first and an entire symphony followed. Despite the noise, Zelda continued sleeping, chest rising and falling rhythmically.

A moat of water separated the center of the room from the edges and wading into it without second thought, Link sliced the sword across the air.

"Cease your piano playing at once!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "What have you done with her?" he demanded, boots reaching the dry, stone island. "Why isn't she waking?" Link slashed the silk drape; it fell limply on the bed, end trailing in the puddle of water.

"She dreams of oceans." Ganondorf's baritone pierced the symphony and his fingers flew faster over black and white keys. "Seas, seas. Oceans and oceans." The tune reached a crescendo. "Oceans and oceans," Ganondorf repeated when the song came to an abrupt end, a shrill split the air, high enough to crack glass. "What did the King of Hyrule tell you?" Rising from the chair, Ganondorf folded his hands inside the robe's billowing sleeves. "Did he say the Gods sealed Hyrule away?" he asked. "Leaving behind people who would one day awake the lost continent? How ridiculous." He threw his head back and laughed, the haunting tone assaulted Link's ears. "So many pathetic creatures, scattered across the handful of islands, drifting across this ocean like fallen leaves on a forgotten pool...what do they hope to achieve?" Link opened his mouth for a counter argument. "Silence boy!" Ganondorf thundered, "Let me speak.

"Don't you see?" The Gerudo paced, ends of his orange hemmed robe dragging across the ground. "All of you...your Goddesses destroyed you!" The water in the moat rippled and Ganondorf's voice softened. "I've been waiting for you _boy_." Link scowled, he resented being labeled a boy. "For one like you." Bronze irises narrowed at Link and the boy lifted his chin defiantly. "There is something in your eyes that is otherworldly. I have been waiting so long..." the Gerudo broke off and contemplatively regarded the world outside the narrow windows, "Don't you dare disappoint me."

The shadows pooling at Ganondorf's feet converged hungrily over the bed and Link stepped back into the pool of water when the floor trembled. Zelda and the bed sunk into the liquid ground. A grotesque shape solidified behind the gossamer drapes and when the curtains parted, Link cocked an eyebrow at the monstrous puppet roaring in the circular chamber.

Wavelets lapped at his shins, soaking his tights. The puppet monster howled, the scream shattering the windows and blowing candles out, it slammed its boulder arms, creating a tidal wave which doused Link from head to toe.

Brushing the sodden fringe from his eyes, Link contemplated trimming his hair. Puppet Ganon danced on a cat's cradle of strings and its bulbous tail remained well out of Link's reach. Whipping out the boomerang, he retreated to the pool's edge and aimed at the thick ropes.

The boomerang whizzed across the room and sawed through the strings. It flew back into Link's aching hand and he aimed again, rolling to avoid a misshapen appendage from crushing him against the wall. The strings snapped one by one and Puppet Ganon smashed on the floor, tail curled awkwardly to its side. Leaping to the monster with a light arrow nocked into his bow, Link let it soar, smirking grimly when it pierced the target.

Puppet Ganon spasmed in the water. Thin strings of light paralyzed it and it thrashed in the near invisible bonds. Link drew his Master Sword and slew the keese fluttering around his head. A tiny claw scratched his cheek and he leapt, burying the blade in the puppets' forehead.

The monster convulsed, drawing its bulbous limbs in and Link cautiously waited. The Triforce on his hand pulsed erratically, signaling danger. He did not need a winking beacon of light to tell him to stay alert. Puppet Ganon melted and reformed. Its knotty limbs splayed against air and the new form fell, bathing Link yet again.

He glared, the damn spider will _pay_ for soaking him the second time.

Anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach, Link stalked the spider waving through the air. His toes froze in sopping boots and he shivered in the cold tunic wrapping him like a second skin. Misjudging Puppet Ganon's landing area; he slid right in the middle as the shadow descended rapidly. Scrambling out of the way only threw him under the spider's gigantic abdomen.

The creature hammered into him and he gasped in pain, feeling a rib shatter. A metallic taste exploded in his mouth and a crushing pain bloomed on his right wrist. Wriggling out of the concrete weight, Link wheezed when a humungous insect leg slammed on his back.

He swore vehemently and wiped the bloody saliva dribbling from his mouth. The room swayed, water, ceiling and windows becoming one. The spider flickered like a mirage and blinking, Link sunk a light arrow in its cyan spinneret.

Rods of barely perceptible light bound the spider, a flock of keese clawed Link's hair and screaming in frustration, he grabbed a bat and hurled it against the wall. The little furry body exploded into a magic jar.

Sobering, he popped the perforated pitcher and expertly sawed the spider's legs. The thorax twitched. Glazed eyes swiveled to Link and the form boiled into another creature.

Taking the small opportunity while the puppet transitioned from one shape to the other, Link dug in his backpack. He swiftly drowned a potion and coughed when his ribs knitted together, the ache crippling his right had decreased. Grabbing a small tank of alcohol, he rolled his sleeves and poured the stinging fluid over his cuts, swiping his fingers across the incision throbbing on his cheek. Behind him, Puppet Ganon hissed and he worked faster, movements frenzied. The spirits burned, he tore a length of gauze and wrapped the potion soaked bandage across his pounding leg.

Whipping back to Puppet Ganon gliding across the moat, Link lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. Of all the forms Ganondorf could take, he chooses a hairy snake. The monster slithered unpredictably and keeping the cyan orb in sights, Link struck it with a light arrow.

Before he could dissect the spazzing snake, it recovered from paralysis and lunged with jaws wide open; Link jumped back, cursing as it barely missed his head and swallowed the cap whole.

Lamenting the loss of his cap, the hero dodged when the snake rammed past him. Puppet Ganon's speed rose with each consecutive wound and Link climbed to solid ground, bashing his hammer on the snake's head when it torpedoed forward. He panted. The puppet showed no signs of slowing and following the eyesore around became a chore.

Plastering himself against the slate walls, Link bid his time; bow and arrow ready in his hands. The snake sailed at the boundary of the moat, its golden hairs rippling like a field of ripened hay. Aiming slightly left to the cyan orb, Link let an arrow fly, his body tensed to bolt. As soon as the arrow left his bow, he grabbed his sword and charged.

Puppet Ganon petrified, light snaked up its tail, forcing his body into stasis, a mere second later, a silver sword plunged into his brain. The child did not fight neatly, no, he twisted the sword, inching it deeper into the head.

A red velvet cord unraveled from the wooden beams of the ceiling. On top, Ganondorf stood silently.

"Yes, you are surely the Hero of Time, reborn," he whispered and melted into the darkness when Link clawed the rope, irises shining with cultivated hatred. "Your time has come..." Ganondorf's words carried over the splashes of water, "Come now, stand before me."

* * *

Robe burns crisscrossing his palms, Link hauled to a platform in the ceiling. Rich wooden beams intersected the top of the tower and an ornate gate, lacquered in ruby and gold, lead outside. Hookshot digging into a target, Link swung to the short walkway, frosty sunlight bled in the corridor.

Dawn broke outside.

He emerged on a wide, circular platform with the continent of Hyrule expanding on all sides. The surreal environment undulated beyond a dome of air surrounding the engraved stage. Everything appeared cyan. Cyan like the Pirate's charm weighing heavily in Link's pocket. Arches of crafted stone spanned from the edges of the tower and if it weren't for Ganondorf's imposing presence, Link would have taken the time to enjoy minute details.

Zelda lay near the Gerudo prince and Link scrutinized the floor for hidden doors or traps. None.

"My country lay within a vast desert," Ganondorf began and Link lowered his sword. "When the sun rose in the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world."

Enraptured by the tale, Link maintained a respectable distance, he worried about Zelda, but somehow, he believed Ganondorf will not harm her.

"And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing...death." Ganondorf closed his eyes; he remembered the desert Kingdom in which he grew up in, surrounded by his mother and a myriad of different aunts. They called him little prince and let him roam free on the dune studded plains of the desert kingdom. He recalled water, a precious commodity, glittering frost encroaching the sand palace walls and people dying in droves, their bodies desiccated by the harsh elements. "The winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin...I coveted that wind I suppose..."

A gentle breeze played with the edges of Ganondorf's robes. He smiled sadly and Link poked the dying embers of an anger inside his chest. The obsessed bearer of the Triforce of Power should be vanquished, yet, why did he sympathize with his sworn enemy?

"It can only be called fate," desperation laced the man's words, "that here I would again gather the three with the crests. That I should lay my hand on that which grants the wishes of a beholder." Ganondorf turned to Link, who gritted his teeth in confusion. "That when power, wisdom and courage come together...the gods would have no choice but to come down." Throughout his monologue, Zelda slumbered on and Link wished her to awaken and counter his warped ideology. "Yes...the power of the Gods, the Triforce, he who touches it, will have whatever he desires granted!" Bronze irises narrowed to Zelda. "Already the crest of Wisdom is mine, all that remains..." Ganondorf glanced at Link's tiny hand wrapping around the hilt of the Master Sword.

_Enough!_

Link rolled sideways when Ganondorf lashed for him and his sword cut a neat line across the Gerudo's shoulder. He breathed heavily, shaken by both speech and the speed of the attack.

Ganondorf grunted in frustration, a mere child of twelve could not anticipate such a move. The boy before him danced lightly on his feet, pitch irises shifting and anticipating. He ducked when Ganondorf aimed or his head and stabbed the inside of the former's arm when he attempted to draw his swords. Hissing in rage, the Gerudo grasped the Master Blade, blood dripped in his palm.

Letting go of the sword, Link twirled his hammer and flung it at the bearer of power.

It smashed in his barrel chest, bone crackled and Ganondorf bent double, disbelievingly touching the spots of red flecking his lips.

"Who are you?" the man rasped, fear crawling in his eyes like smoke. He smoothly unsheathed his blades; rune etched platinum winking under the sun. "No matter, I will take your Triforce, I have no need to snuff your life."

Picking up his sword and gently nudging a softly snoring Zelda, Link examined his reflection. "I am Link," he held the sword high, "the Hero of Winds." A sarcastic smirk assimilated on his face. "Don't worry; I will put an end to your misery."

Yawning loudly, Zelda tottered to her feet and kicked off her glass slippers. She fixed the cumbersome tiara in her hair all while Link cast a sidelong glance at her. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized and stifled another yawn with a silk gloved palm.

Lips twisting, Link snorted, "Typical, what next?" She rolled her eyes good humoredly and he dropped to a knee, humbly presenting her with the bow and light arrows. Hesitating for a moment, Zelda took them without complaint. "I apologize for putting you through all of this," Link murmured, his eye fixed on Ganondorf, daring the man to interrupt. "I am sorry for imposing my traditions and ideologies on you. Please know I respect you greatly and I would appreciate your help in putting him down."

Taking a step backwards, Zelda gripped the elegant bow and arrows tightly. "But..." she faltered, "I'm not good with archery..." her self-confident visage cracked. "I knew...I knew I was her and I did nothing to take up the Bearer's responsibilities."

Straightening, Link hefted his sword and shield; he rotated towards Ganondorf, who watched the interaction with an unfathomable expression. "I trust you," he said and charged.

* * *

A light arrow barely missed Link's throat and he curved away from it, drawing the Gerudo between him and Zelda. Each time the dark skinned man tried to stab the princess, his blade met the Master Sword. Fiercely concentrating, Zelda let another arrow rip and only through sheer skill, did the hero tempt Ganondorf into the line of fire.

The arrow struck true and articulating an almighty scream, Ganondorf crashed to his knees, tangerine sword tassels flowing like ribbons of water. Link slashed his robe into shreds and hatched his chest with deep, painful scars.

If Ganondorf didn't know any better, he thought the child took pride in carving him like the floor. The moment his movement returned, the Gerudo attempted to hack the child's sword arm off, alas, each time, the boy sprang back with a predator's grace and the barest hint of a sly smile shaped his lips.

Damn brat!

Another of those blasted light arrows pierced his palm and disregarding the petrification creeping across his right shoulder, Ganondorf crossed the space between him and the meddling princess and back-handed her. She gasped, saliva coated Ganondorf's fingers and the bow and arrows flew around the edge of the tower, disappearing into oblivion. A deep stab forced him to twist and through the dizziness rocking his vision, Ganondorf closed his vise grip around Link's throat.

Chopped fingers fell to the floor.

Wrenching the arm off, Link continued plunging his blade in the Gerudo's forearm. He sawed at the joint and gave up, herding the disorientated Bearer of power away from Zelda.

In a last attempt, Ganondorf used his intact hand to grab Link's sword arm, he succeeded in snaring the pudgy hand in his grip.

"Mine!" Ganondorf breathed through the tears congealing in his eyes.

Link squirmed and kicked. He slammed his other hand on top of the glowing triangle osmosing out of his skin and shrieked at Ganondorf to let go. In response, the Gerudo laughed.

"Hahaha! You too covet it; we are _nothing_ without the Triforce!"

Devastated by the Triforce separating from him, Link snatched the air for the glowing triangle. Another piece of the Triforce detached from the unconscious Zelda and joined the two golden shards spiraling through the air. Ganondorf dropped Link roughly to the floor and swayed to the converging Triforce, mesmerized by its power and drunk on his wish. The golden triangles loomed larger than life and despite himself, Link slowly rose and admired them.

He often wondered how a person would transform should the Goddess grant all three triangles to a single individual. Would they become a god?

No matter, he massaged his aching arm. He will finish Ganondorf _without_ the use of a Triforce.

He will dictate his destiny.

He will carve his own constellations.

Master Sword ready in hand, Link broke into a run, Ganondorf stood inches away from the overwhelming brilliance of the Triforce, body rigid in ecstasy. Link's mind insisted on the Gerudo _not_ touching the glittering triangles, a disastrous wish will come true.

He leapt, sword outstretched.

And Ganondorf turned as the sacred blade plunged in his forehead.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

**Lines between right and wrong**

Hyrule Castle made for a nasty campground; Link dully concluded as he packed his shredded tent and struggled with the tent pegs Midna drilled into the crumbling, marble floor. The imp commented on every single thing in sight, from the elaborate crystal chandelier hanging above their heads to the frescos - what were those? - hidden in domed arches. Munching on a pear and nodding off handedly, Link transformed into a wolf when his body itched intolerably and howled at the ghoul rats hanging off his skin with their ratty teeth.

Myriads of monsters claimed Hyrule Castle as their new home. Flocks of aeralfos roosted in the inner courtyard roofs and screeched at each other for more territory, while they argued; Link slunk past them, his bowstring drawn for emergency encounters. In darkened corridors, lit only by the occasional candle stub, firelight capered over portraits. Oil painted eyes tracked Link's moves as he attempted to solve the puzzle on his own, failed and implored Midna for help. She huffed, gave him a crash course on the Kings of Hyrule and their contributions throughout the ages and completed the puzzle on her own. Leaving the orange lit corridor and its creepily important people, he despaired at the rows and rows of archer bokoblins aiming a quiver of arrows at his heart.

Not just any arrows, fire tipped arrows. How those things didn't burn the stupid monsters using them, Link wondered.

Before any of the bokoblin archers succeeded in setting Link's tunic on fire, they dropped dead, one by one.

Link envisioned the gaping fishes washed on the beaches of Outset Island. Once, a passing merchant ship spilled toxic metal in the surrounding sea and schools of silver scaled fish died. The waves tossed their limp bodies on the beach and Aryll cried over the not yet dead ones, stroking their slippery little bodies with her dainty fingers.

Rusl's head of golden hair peeked from a corridor underneath the one Link currently scaled. Elated by a familiar face, he leaned over the granite balustrade and waved cheerfully. The Resistance members tilted their head to acknowledge him, and Auru, the old man, stood stiffly with a gigantic cannon hefted on his shoulder. Shad smiled, a blood encrusted dagger in his hand. Ashei swept her sheet of silky black hair backwards, her ebony black sword a blur through a monster's waist. Only Rusl humored Link and waved back, a kind twinkle in his warm blue eyes.

Resolve renewed, Link drowned two bottles of milk, to gives his bones power, and ploughed through a bunch of stalkins dragging their feet sluggishly across the ground. He yelped when the painted tiles crumbled underneath his paws and stemmed the tide of fear threatening to drown him. Leaping from one block to the other, he emerged at the foot of a horribly broken staircase and swallowed a groan of pain as he turned into a human.

"These monsters have no class," Midna commented and picked a gleaming piece of rubble, "this staircase was a beautiful work of art, leading to the Throne room tower. Zelda was imprisoned there." Solemnly holding his clawshot, Link triggered the chain and it bounced off the hard walls. "This isn't your ordinary building," the Twilli folded her hands on his shoulder, "this is Hyrule Castle, you will have to use your brains when trying to infiltrate it." She pointed to a section of caved in wall and the clawshot hook held fast.

Climbing the staircase, Link sung over wide gaps, legs trembling slightly. He focused on the happy things to come. Once Ganondorf was put down...he will go back home and spend an eternity doing absolutely nothing. The adolescent nodded to himself as he mounted the spinner and glowered at the blade traps whizzing on the rails stitched across the palace walls. He deserved a huge holiday after what he went through, each morning he will wake up and help Grandma make elixir soup, he smiled vacantly at his dream, and in the evenings, he will spin stories of his adventures to Aryll.

The stories would be highly edited of course. His beloved younger sister will not have the same scars he was forced to bear.

A helmed darknut stopped his laborious progress through the dilapidated tower. Breathing hard behind a pillar barely concealing him, Link stood there for a good part of the day and memorized the monster's lumbering patterns. Its steel boots left heavy impressions on the royal red carpet and outside broken windows; the sun sunk low, painting the monster and hallways into eerie shadows. Religiously the darknut marched, pausing not for food, water or the need to pee. Come to think of it, Link fumbled with his belt, his bladder was bursting.

Midna snickered at his discomfort.

A whistle cut through the air and twisting just in time to avoid a spade-esque sword aiming for his head, Link quickly zipped his pants and drew the bow, an arrowhead glanced harmlessly off the darknut's armor and translucent, orange rune barriers forced Link and the monster to pace in tight circles around each other. Five circlets ran across the Darknut's foreboding helm and it twirled a slim sword in gauntlet clad hands.

The monster lunged and Link sidestepped, his Light Sword trailed sparks but did no damage. Hissing in annoyance, he retreated against an ivory wall and inwardly shrieked when the monster charged for him. The Darknut clanged against the coat of arms displayed on the wall and an array of spears and a highly embossed shield, crashed on it.

Swallowing a victorious snigger, Link sawed off the armor straps, artfully dancing out of danger, much to Midna's undisguised amusement. When the final breastplate fell, he stabbed wildly, quivering arms coming to a stiff stop atop a monster's ribcage.

He wiped sweat from his brow, adjusted the long cap sliding off his greasy hair and breathed deep. The barriers crumbled, revealing a regal, double height door. Gripping the sword tightly in his left hand, Link touched the gleaming handle and it swung apart soundlessly.

* * *

"Welcome to _my _castle." A porcelain moonbeam illuminated Ganondorf hunched on top of the gold gilt throne. A sword lay horizontally over his thighs and Link remembered to scowl.

Nubs of alabaster littered the velvet carpet draped across the steps leading to the throne. Broken statue heads stared glassily at Link and mindful of their unmoving eyes, Link trotted to catch up with Midna. His companion oozed hatred, evidenced by her tiny, clenched hands and the spiteful glower she leveled at Ganondorf.

"So you are Ganondorf," Midna jeered and raised her chin defiantly, "I have been dying to meet you." Her iris narrowed mockingly.

Rising from the throne with a sweep of his magnificent, gold trimmed cloak, Ganondorf grinned. "Your people have long amused me, Twilight Princess," he paced, the cloak whirling like a jet black shadow across his boots, "to defy the Gods with such petty magic, only to be cast aside-" he stopped, "-how very pathetic." Midna growled curses under her breath. "Your people had skill, but sadly, they lacked power," Ganondorf said, his voice filling every inch of the palatial throne room. He raised his fist and Link gulped at the golden triangle flashing on the back of the man's hand. "He who wields such power makes a fitting king for both worlds don't you think?" The Gerudo prince smiled wider, lips stretched by madness. "Shadow has been moved by light..." he paused abruptly in his dramatic soliloquy when Link stifled a yawn. "It seems you are bored," he boomed, "very well, I have a present for you."

Something stirred in a niche swaddled by darkness and muscles tensing, Link raised his sword and shield. The figure sitting patiently in the umbrae stepped forward, pleats of silk swaying with her movements. Midna uttered a strangled scream, she pressed her palms to her mouth and her eye grew so wide, Link worried it might pop out of its socket.

Brandishing a rapier and skin tinted to an unhealthy green, Zelda sliced her weapon sideways and lunged in one fluid movement. Mind whirling, Link gasped as the hero's tunic saved him yet again. He brought up his shield to block a flurry of lightning fast attacks and sucked in a breath when she twirled and the rapier nearly cleaved his nose in half. Pushed backwards, he jumped when a large, glowing triangle etched under his feet.

Sluggishly recovering from her shock, Midna's single eye roved from Ganondorf to Zelda. _Zelda_. Alive but reduced to a rune covered puppet. Twilli magic bled from her in short bursts and her pupil less eyes honed on Link with frightening bloodlust. The Princess skipped across the chamber, unleashing deadly sword strikes and orbs of crackling energy.

Compared to her, Link fought like a barbarian. Midna inhaled and opened her hand; a miniscule fused shadow grew in size and slammed on her body. Vowing to save the Princess of Hyrule, Midna promptly sailed into the thick of battle, smiling when Link sharply veered his sword away from her skin.

"Are you crazy?" he rebuked. "Move out of the way! She's gonna kill you."

A ball of energy smashed against the headless Nayru's body and the rest of the Goddess statue shattered along with the sister figures. A pile of rubble heaped on the carpet, white dust coated its fringes. "No little wolf," Midna teased, "_you _stand aside and watch, this is how princess do battle." Link ducked as the slim sword slid across the side of his neck, he shivered at the cold contact and blinked when the Twilli's demon hand grabbed Zelda by her midsection and pinned her to a wall. "Move. Now. I cannot control my power," Midna warned and let Zelda go.

Taking his cue, Link fled, icy blue eyes pulling like a magnet to Ganondorf, witnessing the fight with a wry smirk.

Zelda hacked the limbs swerving for her and floated gently to the ground. Wondering how she fought with a cumbersome silk dress weaving around her legs, Midna reflexively smacked a ball of energy back to the Princess of Hyrule and Zelda returned it, batting the orb with her sword. She lunged, sword poised to pierce Midna's single eyeball and hovering out of reach, Midna clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Rude of you to aim for my eye," she spat and the ball deflected from her glowing demon hand. "I only have one," she smiled a strained smile when the whizzing ball collided with Zelda.

Ganondorf grinned when his puppet merely brushed off the collision and stood. The dismay apparent on Midna's face gave him an electric excitement.

Sucking in a breath when a second fused shadow slammed onto Midna's body, Link forced himself to stay on one spot, gaze trained on Ganondorf. The Light Sword weighed like lead in his arms; flashes of light burned in the throne room and stabbed his eyeballs unpleasantly. He sensed no life from the puppet form of Zelda and yet, Midna fought as if she could salvage something. Link found it painful to watch and when the Princess collapsed, the dark veins on her skin lightening, Midna swooped in with her magic to break the Twilli curse placed upon Zelda.

He gritted his teeth when the Twilli smiled. The imp radiated happiness...he only wished...

A monstrous roar shook the pillars holding the throne room ceiling and a few cracked, stone cylinders crushing the tiles. Conversation cut short, Midna warped the recovering Zelda to a protective niche and joined Link to distastefully ogle the Dark Beast contorting on the floor. Ganon shook a mane of fiery red hair and snorted, Link gagged at the stench. Two curved tusks gouged the earth and gleamed bone white under the weak moonlight sifting from the broken ceiling. A silver scar stretched from the raving boar's chest to his abdomen.

The beast screamed like the scar gave him pain. He screamed as if the wound cost him everything in life.

"It was nice meeting you Link," Midna casually stated and he did a double take, "make sure Zelda is kept safe, I won't forgive you if she gets as much as a scar on her skin." The imp continued prattling but the words jammed in Link's head, what in Jabun's name is she _talking _about? "Take care of yourself and thank you for your help."

* * *

He stood in a grassy plain. In Hyrule field. Zelda sat on the grass next to him, her dress in pristine condition. Hyrule Castle painted a jagged line on the horizon, its towers crooked and bent. A faint, unearthly roar resonated from the palace and Link tugged his earlobe, relieved for the pain.

So this...quietude was real? How could it be real? Moments ago he stood before a hulking monster and Midna...

A soft rustle of material forced Link to stop pulling his earring and he helped Zelda up. Her beauty unnerved him and he quickly looked away, willing the flush in his cheeks to recede. Unfortunately, she stood right next to him and silently, both of them stared at the horizon. Dawn bled, rosy, golden and full of promise.

Hoof beats drummed on the plains, sending chills cascading down Link's spine. He peeked at Zelda, blushed when she lowered her eyes and tried to mimic her composure. How did she stand there, still as a statue and _not_ cower in the slightest bit? Why was she so pretty? Link had never seen anything so beautiful in his life; he mentally sifted through the princess drawings in the picture books. _Nope_. Not even the drawings compared to the goddess-human standing next to him.

"Ganondorf..." Zelda rasped, her voice hoarse. "Midna and her magic were not enough to vanquish him." Numbly, Link focused on the army of monsters rallying to the Triforce bearer of Power, he blew in the horse's call, dully accepting a horseback duel. "He has her mask..."

The blood in Link's veins morphed to freezing ice and the horse's call fell from his stone fingers. No!

Nooo.

NO!

Through the blurry veil over his eyes, Zelda clasped her hands together and prayed. Trying not to hiccup, Link did the same, pressing his hands together as the drumming increased to a mini-earthquake. A single, hot tear landed on his curled fingers and he sniffed. The earthquake roiled across the plain, blades of grass danced and stones bounced. Ganondorf's pearl white blade flashed into view, tip poised to stab Zelda.

She did not move.

The skies darkened to wet ink and four light spirits bloomed, searing Link's retinas. He cowered before their might and spared a vindictive glance at Lanayru who ignored him. The Princess stood before them, the tiara in her hair winking with equal brilliance, they conversed and the words folded over Link like a tidal wave, failing to penetrate the layers of fear, desperation and grief. The spirits granted Zelda four light arrows, crafted from their immortal blood, and faded into dawn.

Saddled on top of Epona, Link helplessly gazed at the Princess as she clambered next to him, her dress draped over Epona's flank. The horse now wore a mini-skirt of silk. "Uh...will you be okay, riding like that?" he asked, the imminent threat of Ganondorf momentarily forgotten.

"We would worry more about you," Zelda curtly replied, her voice a rough whisper. She sat ramrod straight and a long bow materialized in her gloved hands.

"We?" Link slowly asked. Epona broke into a trot and he feared for Zelda sliding off. Who's going to back him up then? Midna...is probably dead, or dying.

".._.I_ would worry more about you," the Princess corrected herself and her silver blue eyes sharpened at Ganondorf. "We do not have time to converse, rest easy; _I _am a proficient at horseback archery."

Shrugging, Link ducked when a phantom attempted to joust him. The Master Sword cleaved the spirit and it rode off in the wind. Ganondorf rode alongside them, his laughter guttural and mocking.

The Warlock blade cut a thin line across Epona's flank and hissing in anger, Link nudged her closer and swiped. He missed. The Gerudo Prince wheeled around, charged and in one swift moment, Link found himself tumbling across the ground, the earth and sky see-sawing with him.

He got up, shook his head and spat a mouth full of grass. The princess graced him with an even stare of pity before raising her bow and letting an arrow soar.

The Light arrow found its mark on Ganondrof's silver scar and Link spared a second of sympathy for the enraged man before vaulting across the field and slicing at the armor protecting the Gerudo's body. Heavy, gold trimmed pieces thudded to the ground and he jumped back when Ganondorf slashed. Blood welled at the base of Link's throat and he irritably wiped it as Zelda pulled him back on Epona.

"He will be more vigilant of my arrows. Please distract him," the Princess requested.

To Link, it sounded like a command. Gathering the reins, he galloped for Ganondorf and turned abruptly at the last second, leaving his nemesis to shout threats to the wind. Zelda turned and fired the rest of the arrows one after the other and marveling at her skill, Link slowed Epona and watched. The sight of Ganondorf, grunting in pain and paralyzed by threads of light, stirred a pang of sorrow in Link and he looked away.

No one is supposed to carry a burden they cannot bear.

"Be careful, he is still alive," Zelda cautioned. She stared down at Ganondorf and Link resisted the urge to toe the inert figure. The man lay petrified on the grass, his tattered cape cushioning him from the soil. His scar did not bleed and three Light arrows protruded from it. "I commend your bravery," the Princess addressed Link and he stood taller, flattered and hopeful. "You were not groomed for your destiny, yet, you ploughed through them and saved Hyrule." A breeze tossed the end of her thick braid and she clasped her hands regally. "He will wake soon and you will lay him to peace." Distant bird chirps filled the silence and the sun climbed the sky. "This is your last calling." Zelda moved away as Ganondorf stirred, a hand clamped around the arrows and pulled them one by one. The projectiles lost their golden luster and crumbled into bone. "You, the hero, have to do this alone."

The Triforce bearer of Power opened his eyes. Greed, confusion and a history of hatred swirled in them. Link knew the longing behind the eyes, he felt it too. A wanting of absolute power, the hatred of his circumstance and the fierce desire to return to the place he called home.

He raised his sword.

He was no chivalrous hero.

The Light Sword descended and Ganondorf gazed glassily, the disbelief and light in his irises fading along with his dreams and power.

Link wiped his eyes.

He wanted to go home.

* * *

**A/N:** WW Link did not have a glorious battle with Ganondorf, he always sought the most easiest way out and therefore killed Ganondorf when the latter was at his weakest. TP Link on the other hand fights not for glory, but because he likes the rush of adrenaline. He is bloodthirsty; therefore, poor Ganondorf ended up with a sword sticking out of his forehead.

This is the last chapter of the story, but stay tuned for the epilogue.

At CapitalClassShip: It was fun writing them adjusting to the different timelines

At FateVoid: I'm a huge fan of having my stories dissected. Yeah, I suppose the ending is predictable. Hope the story lives up to your hype

Anyway, please read and review, constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated. Much gratitude to all those who read the story, it gives me motivation to keep writing.


	33. Voice from the stars

**"So come home"**

**Said a voice from the stars**

Twilight painted the mirror chamber into squares of amber and sand dusted the base of its numerous columns. The Princess regally glided after him and Link frowned at her immaculate condition, not a strand of dark golden hair escaped her elaborate bun, nor did a stain soil her voluminous dress. Zelda accompanied him to the Gerudo Mesa, her face betraying no thoughts. They scaled Arbiter's grounds and all fancies for being her knight in shining armor quickly fled Link's mind when the Princess mowed more monsters than he could count.

The first stars dotted an indigo sky, sand dunes created a shadowy outline on the horizon. Approaching the Twilight mirror, Link bowed to the looking glass edged with archaic runes and Zelda placed a bouquet of sweet smelling roses.

"Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin," the princess softly murmured.

"One cannot exist without the other," a voice interrupted the stillness and the two hylians whipped around.

Link gaped like a fish out of water at the woman towering before him. She seemed oddly familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He opened and closed his mouth, willing his mind to co-operate and not squeak like a squirrel.

"What?" the woman teased and the familiarity washed over him, "am I so beautiful you have no words left?" Midna smirked.

"It's wonderful to see you again." Zelda smiled and inclined her head.

"You…you are alive!" Link stuttered, cheeks flushing. "I thought you..." a tear stubbornly traced the curve of his chin and he flicked it away. "I thought you were gone." His words petered into a strangled whisper and the Twilli wiped his tears.

"Hmm? I'm offended you think I'd die that easily!" Midna rolled her eyes and smiled at Zelda. She stepped next to the Twilight Mirror and squeezed the Princess hands gently. "I thank the great goddess for letting all of us meet. You are both kind and true. I have learned much from you, Zelda." A knowing glance passed between them. "If all in Hyrule were like you...no, Hyrule could not have a better ruler." The Princess of Hyrule smiled modestly and lowered her eyes. "As for you Link, perhaps the goddesses will grant you a way home."

_Home_.

The fierce longing to return home numbed to an odd ache in his chest. Home seemed like a foreign concept, it lurked at the edges of sleep and disappeared when he woke. For all his praying, deep down, Link suspected he belonged in Hyrule. Here, with its stretches of forest, a lake, tiny in comparison with the sea; here, with Rusl, Uli, the villagers and Midna.

"I want to come with you." The words escaped in a rush. Link gritted his teeth and forced himself to meet Midna's surprised eyes. A rune glittered on her forehead and ebony robes lay in folds around her arms and back. "I want to be your prince."

She giggled softly and he clenched his fists. "Link," a tear seeped from Midna's eyes, "do you realize the Twilight realm will turn you into a little wolf?" Link stared at her determinedly. "Well," she wiped the tear and it sailed in the air like a luminescent grain, "as long as the Twilight Mirror exists, I can visit whenever I want. Although," she tilted her head and smiled suggestively, "I would like the future prince of Twilight to act less like a brat and more like a man. Grow up, doggy."

The grain lightly struck the center of the Twilight mirror, between a trio of triangles. Midna strode up the stairs of light, her cape and skirt flaring with each movement, she turned right before the entrance and smiled, not bothering to brush the tears streaking down her face.

And before their eyes, the Twilight mirror shattered into sparkling dust.

"NO!" Link screamed and dove for Midna as she faded into light. "Why?" He clawed the air. "Why did you do that?" he screeched and whirled to Zelda who stood with her perpetually calm expression. "Why didn't you stop her?" he demanded, "she would have listened to you!" The realization brought a fresh wave of pain. "Of all the people in the world," he gasped, "you were the only one she would listen to if you asked her to stay!" Tears drew glistening tracks on Link's cheeks.

A beat of silence passed before Zelda spoke, her tone quivering, "Perhaps this is for the best." A liquid pearl dropped off her chin and darkened the sand at her feet. "Light and shadow do not mix, breaking away from us is the only way she can deliver her people salvation. Her kingdom matters to her more than personal grief."

Hunched at the base of the large stone, Link cried. He cried for Midna, for Zelda who lost a precious friend. He cried for Aryll and for Grandma. He allowed himself the novelty to think of his long dead parents and wept, wondering if the tears will ever run out.

* * *

_Dear brother,_ the letter stuck inside the communal wardrobe door read, _you toss and turn and groan in your sleep and sometimes,_ Link clasped the letter tightly, _you stare at the ocean like you are missing someone and your eyes go very dark. I know you played a big part in saving the Great Sea, Grandma told me._ Aryll's neat handwriting jumped from the pale pink paper in spurts. _Grandma also told me that people change, but big brother,_ Link sat on the edge of the wooden bed, suddenly exhausted despite the early hour, _it feels like you are a different person. Even so, I love you with all of my heart._

Skimming the paper again, Link's attention pulled to a single line. _It feels like you are a different person._ The sentence was an astute observation, for the past month, Link tried to emulate the mannerisms of the boy and gave up. Link of the Great Seas was a naive, immature boy who spent his days blissfully fishing, swimming, playing with the local children or weeding the neighbors' gardens to earn rupees. The normality of that life did not appeal to Link. Instead, he kept a hawk eyed watch on Grandma and Aryll. His sister represented responsibility and comfort, lately; he associated her with everything left behind in Hyrule. The unconditional love from the villagers and friends. He constantly kept her in sight when she went out to play and warned any boy approaching with a predatory grin.

"I'm not your brother," Link whispered under his breath. Of course Aryll will never find out, he won't _let_ her find out. "But it doesn't matter," he crumpled the letter and expertly tossed it into a waste-basket. "I'm your big brother now."

Yawning indolently, he sauntered into the kitchen, awash with early morning sunlight. Grandma puttered at the hearth, tossing cubes of neatly cut vegetables in a steaming pot and grabbing a ladle, Link stirred the creamy soup, inhaling palls of invisible smoke. "It smells delicious Grandma," he offered as a way of greeting and she beamed at him. "I'm hungry, where is Aryll?"

Grandma bustled in the kitchen; she brought out a tin of butter cookies and handed it to Link who took a dainty bite. "At the watchtower," she informed and Link stiffened. His overprotectiveness shone in pitch black irises. "My dear, I know you are worried, but she has been going to the tower ever since she could climb to watch the seagulls, she is safe." He silently perched on a chair, chewing the cooking and thoughtfully zoning out on a wreath hung on the wall. Patting his head fondly, Grandma resumed working, she stared out the window, to the far shore where waves lapped on the beach.

"I'm going out," Link announced, "and I'm taking the cookies."

She smiled as he stalked out the door, no doubt to find Aryll. At times, her heart compressed in vise grip of sadness, Link was so different, it pained her to look at him. The way he silently moved through the house, unlike her loud grandson. He hoarded books, thick tomes borrowed from Sturgeon, and read them, late into the night when Aryll's light snores sounded through the bedroom. And in the inkwells of his eyes, Grandma spied glimpses of a life shattered by responsibility and a furious desire to reclaim what he lost. Absentmindedly rolling the dough, Grandma wondered, what did she and Aryll mean to Link?

Did he hope to rebuild a semblance of his old life with them?

A brigantine sailed the seas, a tiny speck from Link's vantage point on Outset Beach. He craned his neck and narrowed his eyes to the watchtower where Aryll stood with the spyglass glued to her eye. Judging her relatively safe, Link ambled to the beach proper and stared at the mess of logs and twigs littering the soft, beige sands. He begged Abe to teach him the art of boat making after he observed the man surreptitiously carving a tiny figurine one evening. Turns out, Abe knew how to make canoes and since then, Link dragged the man out every morning and forced him to watch as he worked with the wood.

The King of Red Lions lay at the bottom of the sea.

Holding the knife, Link carved, today, he sat alone, stewing in his thoughts.

"The winds are blowing," were Ganondorf's last words as the Master Sword impaled his forehead and petrified him into timeless stone.

Breathing heavily, Link let go of the hilt, the sword did not want to be relinquished from its new pedestal and he respected its wishes. The pieces of the Triforce, golden and imposing, glittered larger than life and wary of its all-consuming power, he scooted to an unconscious Zelda, wondering what to do with the Triforce.

A mansion in Hyrule, rooted somewhere on the outskirts of Castle Town, remained peacefully quiet in the hours of the morning. Navigating its richly carpeted corridors, Link proclaiming his presence with a loud yawn, stepped over the bedroom threshold and froze. Instead of finding his mother sitting on the canopy bed and soaking in the sunlight, his father stood before a full length mirror and adjusted his uniform. Shrinking back before his father noticed, Link hung at the edge of the doorway and admired the dark haired man fastening the gilded buttons of a starched white tunic. A pair of sheathed swords leaned against the mirror's wood paneling and a decorated helm stood on the dressing table, framed by Mother's face powders.

"Come here, son." Link nearly jumped out of his skin; Father will not appreciate his slovenly mode of dress. Attempting to smooth his crumpled shirt, Link sidled into his parents' room and gasped in pleasant surprise when his father swept him up. "You're growing," Father said and a smile touched his lips.

Emboldened, Link put his arms around his father's neck. The Captain of the Guards was a busy, busy man and most of the lesser men clamored for his attention. Flattered to have such an important figure for a father, Link immediately regretted his decision when his father caught his pudgy little left palm and examined the ugly birthmark marring it.

"I won't go out without covering it," Link promised and swallowed when Father placed him on the bed. The older man rooted in the dressing table drawers and brought out small, silk glove of the latest fashion. Squatting in front of the bed, Father slipped Link's hand in the glove and knotted the strings rather tightly. Guilt churning in his stomach, Link did not meet his father's eyes. Father did not have time to wait around on a boy who was too lazy to dress properly.

He blinked when Father kissed him lightly on his forehead. "I know I do not give you much time," Father strapped the twin swords on his waist, "but remember I love you, you are the most precious thing to me and I will protect you as long as I can."

The words echoed in his ears long after Father left, Link touched his forehead, the memory of his parent's kiss lingering.

Daphnes materialized on top of Ganon's tower and regarded the glowing Triforce. Link scooped Princess Zelda and grinned on approaching the King. His grin faltered at the somber expression Daphnes wore and he gently laid Zelda to the floor.

"He who touches the Triforce will have whatever he desires granted...is what Ganondorf said."

Link nodded, for some reason his chest squeezed tightly when the King laid a withered hand on the Triforce.

"Goddesses of Triforce," Daphnes boomed in his nobleman voice, "hear that which I desire!" His crown, inlaid with a single ruby, glinted brightly. "Hope, I desire hope for these children." Link listened attentively. "Give them a future. Wash away this ancient land of Hyrule. Let a ray of hope shine on the future of this world!" Wind blew the edges of the King's robes dramatically and Link let out the breath when the Triforce glowed. "My destiny has been fulfilled," the king muttered, appearing divine in the afterglow of the Triforce. "This is the only world your ancestors could leave you," Daphnes addressed Zelda, who stirred into an upright position. "Please, forgive us." The King bowed.

Bowing to someone else did not suit his father. The action looked obscene. People bowed to his father, not the other way around.

But here they were, in an opulent corridor of Hyrule's School of Fine Arts. The Captain's head hung low, thick, curly hair partially obscuring sorrowful eyes. He fell to his knees the moment _they_ pulled the glove off Link's left hand. The men with ghostly white robes studied the birthmark intently and conferred together in low, grave voices. Through all this, Link's parents begged and finally, when the sages tugged Link towards them, Father pressed his forehead to the floor. Link petrified at the action.

What was his father _doing_?

"You have my word as the Captain of the Guards that I will deliver my son to you the moment he is of age. As for his studies, I will personally teach him swordsmanship." Father's words bounced off the granite floor tiles and sailed to the top like individual bubbles. They made no sense to Link. "Please esteemed sages, he is too young, we have neglected to tell him of his destiny but I will make sure he knows and is prepared for it. Do not take him away from us," Father pleaded and Mother sobbed, "he is our only child."

"Then make another," the sages intoned as one and left, dragging a kicking, shrieking Link along with them.

The ocean fell in sheets of rain, soaking everything. Drowning. Link grabbed the King's red cloak. "You can come with us," he stressed, "we have a boat..." he turned to Zelda who quickly replied in affirmative, "You can live in the world above," he desperately said.

"Ah my boy," Daphnes smiled, eyes creasing, "but that land will not be Hyrule. It is your land."

A fierce torrent of water erupted from the sky and Link shut his eyes, gulping. When he opened them, a thin film of air covered both him and Zelda and the princess floated helplessly to the top. Fighting against the unnatural gravity pulling him to the surface of the ocean, Link thrashed for a hold on the King's sleeve. The current dragged him away and he smiled when Daphnes raised his hand.

"Come with me, please..." Water warbled Link's words.

Daphnes let his arm drop, mere inches from Link's fingers.

Link did not often think about his father. When he came to the Castle, the Captain of the Guards was too entrenched in work to grant him an audience. However, through the liquid screen of water, Father's broken face superimposed on Daphnes and screaming, Link cut through the water and tried to reach the King.

The water tore him away.

_Please...don't leave me!_ He remembered screeching to his parents. To his father. Please do not leave me, he mouthed to Daphnes as distance shrunk the king to the size of an ant.

Aryll's warm body pressed against him as she flopped on the sand. Dropping his carving knife, Link hugged her tightly, willing the painful memories away. She smelled of ocean spray, warm sunshine and happy things to come.

"Do you want a piggyback ride home?" Link asked and got up, stretching luxuriously.

His sister giggled. "I'm too old for piggyback rides," she protested and skipped over the ground. "Race you home!" Aryll challenged and broke into a run, not bothering to wait for Link.

* * *

Late breakfasts often infringed upon lunch but Link hardly cared. Order did not exist on Outset Island, each person moved to an internal clock of their own and he found it strangely liberating. Seated on one side of the table, with the cutlery and soup bowls neatly placed on checkered kitchen cloths, he grabbed hold of a spoon and eagerly waited for Grandma to ladle soup into his bowl. Steam wafted off freshly baked bread and the aroma made his mouth water. Sitting opposite him, Aryll dug into her soup after a prayer of gratitude and Grandma placed a buttered roll on his plate.

"Thank you for the food," Link muttered and reached for his soup, he caught his reflection on the back of the spoon.

A man with icy blue eyes stared back at him.

Growing cold, he clamped the utensil tightly in his fingers. Willing, _commanding_ the image away.

No. The reflection frowned in confusion and its brow rose slightly in horror.

Pushing back his chair, Link jumped to his leaden feet. A creeping numbness climbed his abdomen, arms, chest. It settled over his heart. He could not feel.

Darkness pecked the edge of his vision.

"Grandma..." he wheezed, "I don't want to leave." Both Aryll and Grandma shot out of their chairs, his sister screamed in alarm as he fell back. "Please, I want to stay here," Link rasped, it hurt to breath. "This is my home...I want to live...here..."

He touched a tear sitting snugly on his stinging cheek. The sun sunk in the desert kingdom and sand dusted his boots. Link straightened from his fetal position at the base of a wide obelisk, groggily, he noted the broken Mirror of Twilight.

Pain.

Miniature sand dunes heaped in the mirror chamber. Outside, wind roared, battering at the columns. Dust lay thickly on his cheeks and Link closed his eyes, letting the tears fall.

It has been a long time since he let his emotions bleed.

He gripped his chest, wondering if he could feel his heart breaking up inside. Maybe if he listened hard enough, he could hear the cracks. Link sunk to the sandy floor and laid his head on folded arms.

* * *

**A/N:** WW Link finally gets his happily ever after. As for TP Link, he decided to leave Ordona Village with Epona. Unfortunately, he fell down a rabbit hole and ended up in Breath of the Wild as a strong doggy. Personally, the new hero exasperates him, although, he listens intently when Wild Link tries to recall his memories.

Finally done. This story didn't have much of a plot and I focused mostly on characterization and settings. It was fun to write and I hope the readers enjoyed the story as much as I liked writing it.

Gratitude to Lord Spaghetti King of Potato (cool screen name) for liking the story.

At CapitalClassShip: This story is essentially shows their character development.

At FateVoid: I suppose the ending didn't come as a surprise.

Thank you all.


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